Gunmen on Friday abducted a 19-year-old man from his home in Lauriston, St Catherine and drowned him in the Rio Cobre River.

The drowning has since caused residents to express their wish for a permanent police presence in the community.

The dead man has been identified as Demoy Martin, 19-year-old labourer of Lauriston.

The police told THE STAR that Martin and a relative were abducted from their home by gunmen earlier that day. The police report that the relative managed to escape. However, the gunmen are said to have drowned the teenager. Martin's body was discovered about 7:00 a.m. by a group of residents who saw it floating in the Rio Cobre and summoned the police.

When THE STAR visited the community, the house occupied by Martin's family was empty and residents said they have since left the area.

"Yes, a di man dem drown him as dem never want to fire any gun roun here as people might hear," a resident said.

A number of residents expressed similar sentiments about the beleaguered community.

"Right now we think the community want to have police and soldiers station here. We are thankful fi di patrol. But, what we need is a police station," a resident said.

The St Catherine North police who are investigating the matter said they have not established a motive in the killing. They said no suspects have been identified.