One person is in custody in connection to the death of a 39-year-old Atlanta woman killed while vacationing in Grenada, police on the Caribbean island said Tuesday.
But the person in custody has not been charged nor named, a police spokeswoman said.
Jessica Lewis Colker died Sunday in the town of St. David “as a result of extensive skull fracture and asphyxia,” according to information released Tuesday by the Royal Grenada Police Force. Police declined to elaborate how Colker was injured, even dismissing reports that she was injured by a machete.
“No, no there was no machete involved,” an unidentified police spokeswoman said.
Coker was traveling from Atlanta with her husband, 62-year-old Brian Melito, when she was allegedly attacked. Melito is not considered a suspect in the case, police said.
According to the Georgia Composite Medical Board, Colker was a physician assistant who worked with anesthesiologists at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Her husband is a physician.
“Jessica was a valued member of our Children’s team,” hospital spokeswoman Julie Holkeboer said. “We are deeply saddened by this horrific news. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family during this very difficult time.”
Avid travelers, Colker and Melito were married in 2014 after meeting in Costa Rica, according to a friend. Sarah Greene told Channel 2 Action News that she had met Colker years before they became neighbors.
“She was beautiful, alive and vibrant, and she really loved to dance That was her passion,” Greene said. “That was how wet met several years ago, before she moved here, next door.”
Colker’s family could not be reached for comment.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy said the agency is working with police on the investigation.
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