MONROVIA – The family of Melvin Early, the Executive Protection Service Agent (EPS), who reportedly shot and killed himself in Nimba County last month while on duty with the President, says under no circumstance he would have killed himself. They say Melvin was executed.
The family has vowed to go every length to prove that Melvin did not commit suicide. They said, the Melvin they raised “will not do such a thing.”
Ruth Pittman-Kparkah and Grace Pittman, sisters of the deceased’s mother, told FrontPageAfrica in an exclusive interview that they raised Melvin since he was three years old and to them, the explanation given the EPS does not add up.
“We want answers. We want to know how our son died and why. No matter what happened over there Melvin didn’t kill himself. We want justice for Melvin. He will not go down in history as this EPS man who just woke up one day and shot himself multiple times. He was not a superhuman who had to shoot himself multiple times. We are not buying that story,” Aunty Ruth Pittman-Kparkah stated.
Melvin served the EPS for 15 years prior to his death. He was one of the first individuals recruited by the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf government, trained by U.S. personnel. He served President Sirleaf for 12 years on her security details and three years with President George Weah.
The EPS in a statement had said the agent shot himself at about 06:03 am on Friday, February 19, 2021 in Tappita, Nimba County. “He was on duty at the time of the incident.”
“The EPS has launched a full-scale investigation to establish any potential reason for the apparent suicide.
But in an interview with FrontPageAfrica on Thursday the family members of the late Melvin said they have been quiet since the incident because the widow of Melvin had gone into hiding in fear of being harmed. She leaked an audio of conversation between her and Melvin to ‘Prophet Key’.
“We’ve been hiding, especially for the widow. The woman is afraid and it is because of that we have been quiet because we are concern about her safety. Since our son died, the government hasn’t called us; they haven’t reached out to us; they told us they are investigating only to send some low-class officer to arrange his burial.
“The Government has not even had the decency to sympathize, even Melvin friends who we saw at his wedding are all afraid to show up or even visit us and unfortunately, Trokon the EPS boss hasn’t even had the courtesy to visit us or call. Trokon has been a family friend, he was friend to Melvin’s father.
For Grace, Melvin has never been suspected of taking drugs and she described him as a child brought up in a Christian home. She wants Civil Society Organizations to get involved in demanding justice for him.