FUELLED by her own childhood experiences with sexual assault and incidents of incest that she’d witnessed, Susan Higgins helped track down Troy Ellis, the man accused of the rape and murder of eight-year-old Talia Thompson in Discovery Bay, St Ann, in 2023.

Just shy of three years later, her actions have earned her national recognition. Higgins is among four Jamaicans slated to receive the Badge of Honour for Gallantry at this year’s national honours and awards ceremony scheduled for October.

Ellis, while receiving treatment at hospital under police guard following Talia’s death in September 2023, reportedly escaped. But Higgins later encountered him on the road and played a key role in getting him back into police custody.