SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — Police here say Romele Johnson, one of two men found dead at an auto mart in Longwood near here on Sunday, was a central figure in a lucrative car stealing ring spanning multiple parishes and connected to the sale of stolen vehicles and parts.

The other man found dead is 64-year-old businessman and car mart dealer Melvin Blythe.

Detectives spent hours combing the auto mart as they pieced together the sequence of events which led to the deaths of the renowned businessman as well as 34-year-old Johnson, otherwise called Cutty or Cow Man, a resident of Santa Cruz.