A grieving mother said yesterday she had no idea why someone would want to kill her son.

Freda Gibbons said Duane Gibbons, a hotel worker, was a cheerful, well-liked person who “spoke to everybody” and was devoted to playing golf, especially at the Belmont course near his Warwick home.

She added: “He was just a happy person, someone who always had a smile on his face.”

Ms Gibbons, who shared a house with her son on Keith Hall Estate Road, Warwick, was speaking after Mr Gibbons, 57, was found slumped on Blue Hole Hill in Hamilton Parish in the early hours of yesterday morning with a stab wound.

He was the third murder victim of 2021.

Mr Gibbons was discovered unconscious by a member of the public at about 2.20am and rushed to the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, but was later pronounced dead by doctors.

His sister, Janine Gibbons-Alicea, who lives in the United States and was yesterday preparing to fly home, said the heartbreaking news was broken to her at 4am.

She added: “It’s just unbelievable that somebody could do this to him.

“From what it sounds like, he didn’t get any chance to defend himself.”

Mr Gibbons, son of the late Robert Gibbons, is survived by another sister, Danyelle, a brother, Ralph, and a daughter, T’Kaira.

Ms Gibbons-Alicea said: “Duane was a happy-go-lucky person. He never bothered anybody and he would help anybody.

“Like any little brother he could be a pain, but I loved him.”

She said Mr Gibbons, who went to the former Robert Crawford School for boys in Devonshire, was outgoing.

Ms Gibbons-Alicea added: “Back in the day, he would go break dancing at the Southampton Princess when they had the little disco up there. He would go and put on a show.

“He liked fishing, like my dad did and our whole family.”

She said Mr Gibbons, in addition to hotel work, did odd jobs at Warwick Workmen’s Club.

Ms Gibbons-Alicia said her brother got around the island on foot and friends would often pull over to give him a lift.

She added: “I haven’t been home since Christmas 2018. But when I called home he would answer and we would chat.”

Acting Detective Inspector Jason Smith said yesterday that it was “interesting” that Mr Gibbons “found himself at this location, at this hour of the morning” as it was so far from home.

Mr Smith, speaking at the scene, added: “How he came to be at this location is vital for our investigation in helping us piece together this puzzle.”

He said police knew that people had travelled past the scene and appealed to anyone who had seen Mr Gibbons to contact them.

Mr Gibbons may have been standing or leaning against the wall next to the eastbound lane of Blue Hole Hill.

Mr Smith said: “We believe he was there for some minutes before he collapsed.”

He added it was“critical” that anyone who might have spotted him contact the inquiry team.

The wall is next to a grassed area just east of the Swizzle Inn.

Ms Gibbons said her son had gone out the night before and she was stunned when she was told he was dead.

Ms Gibbons added: “It happened so fast. He went out that evening then I got a call.”

A police spokesman said earlier that officers who attended the scene had carried out CPR on Mr Gibbons before ambulance crews arrived.

The east and west ends of Blue Hole Hill were cordoned off yesterday while forensic experts examined the scene.

Anyone with information that could help the inquiry should phone 211 or contact the investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Wendell Thorpe at 717 0752.