UPDATE: Police announced Wednesday that Travis Webb has been located and is in police custody.
ORIGINAL STORY: A former athlete, detained at the George Town Hospital after being found not guilty ‘by reason of insanity’ in an attempted murder case, escaped this week
A ‘wanted’ notice has been issued for 32-year-old Travis Webb, who police said is “known to be unpredictable and display unstable behaviour”.
Anyone who sees him is encouraged to call 911 immediately.
Webb was being held on a ward at the George Town Hospital. There is no secure facility for prisoners with mental health issues or any long-stay facility for people with serious mental health issues in Cayman.
The in-patient ward is designed for short stays of a few days for people experiencing acute episodes.
But Webb, a former long jumper who competed for Cayman at the youth level, has been held there for more than four years.
Family members who spoke to the Compass Tuesday said Webb had been reported as missing Monday. Their understanding is that he is staying with a relative and that officials have been informed of this.
They believe he is not a danger to himself or others, as he is on medication for a serious long-term condition.
A family member acknowledged Webb had become frustrated with living on a hospital ward with no solution in sight for his unique case.
The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service issued a statement, saying, “Police are seeking information from the community regarding the whereabouts of 32-year-old Travis Webb.
“Mr. Webb, who is indefinitely detained at the George Town Hospital Mental Ward, due to being found not guilty by reason of insanity, escaped lawful custody around 11:00AM, Monday 25 November.
“Police have been actively searching for Mr. Webb since being notified of his escape, and relevant family members have been advised of the situation.”
According to the release, “police have reason to believe he spent the night in George Town, but is now claiming to have employment in East End”.
Indefinite sentence
Webb is detained ‘at the governor’s pleasure’, which means his sentence is open-ended. The family had hoped he could be transferred to the long-term mental health facility when it opens or eventually released under supervision.
But the Poinciana facility remains unopened and there is no certainty that it will be equipped or willing to take Webb, who differs from other long-term patients in that he is in lawful custody.
The Compass published a special report on his case in May of last year, highlighting the lack of appropriate facilities, mental health support or legal framework to effectively handle his circumstances. The details of his complex case, which involved harm coming to a child, are outlined in that story.
Experts and lawyers on both sides agreed that Webb’s mental condition at the time of the incident in 2019 was such that he was not legally responsible for his actions.
The challenge since then has been what to do with him.
Webb spent 20 months at Northward prison, first on a secure unit and then in the general population, before an agreement was reached in 2020 to move him to the acute mental health care ward at the George Town Hospital. The hospital ward has been his home ever since.
Speaking to the Compass during our 2023 investigation, psychiatrist Dr. Marc Lockhart, the former head of the Mental Health Commission and one of the doctors who has treated Webb, said the ward was not an appropriate place to hold him.
“This is really an unbearable situation because the hospital is an acute unit,” he said at the time. “It is not designed for long-term care, and this young man has essentially been living there since 2020.”
Despite those dilemmas and the lack of progress in the 18 months since that article was published, Webb remains in lawful custody and has a serious mental health condition.
Police are urging people not to harbour him but to report his whereabouts by calling 911 “for his own and the community’s safety”.
Webb is described as being of slim build, with dark complexion and brown eyes. He currently has short, dark hair and facial hair and was last seen wearing a white marina, blue sports pants, and red and white trainers, and was carrying a bag.
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The Governor and our elected MPs should be ashamed of this inhumane situation for this young man. Surprisingly, the UK are strong advocates for human rights yet our leaders tend to ignore in Cayman. The question is why?
Is there anyone in Govt who can stand up and explain the delay in opening the East End Mental Health facility. This situation is a damning indictment on our politicians and it seems that they are all passing the buck and leaving it to the next elected Parliament to sort out, shame on all of them.