Jamaican police have arrested a man in connection with the death of his wife, 35-year-old Melissa Samnath, a New York-based accountant who died while on vacation in the island.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force said detectives said Dane Watson, who had been listed as a person of interest, was taken into custody on May 15 after he was handed over by relatives in Gayle, St Mary. 

He was later transferred to St James, where he remains in police custody.

Investigators reported that on April 29, Samnath’s 35th birthday, she was taken to the Cornwall Regional Hospital by Watson, who allegedly left the facility shortly after assisting her from a vehicle.

Hospital staff later alerted police after Samnath was pronounced dead.

A post-mortem examination conducted on May 6 determined that she died from multiple blunt force trauma to the head.

Police said the investigation remains ongoing.

Samnath had travelled to Jamaica to celebrate her birthday.

According to reports from The Jamaica Gleaner, her last contact with family came the night before her death, when she sent a message asking for help.

“I need you to call the cops,” she wrote via WhatsApp shortly before 11 pm. “Look at my location. It is a pink house.”