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Amy Robach
This is an I Heart podcast. Guaranteed human. If audiobooks are your thing or you've been meaning to listen to more of them, you should check out a podcast called earsay, the Audible and I Heart Audiobook Club. Hosted by Cal Penn.
T.J. Holmes
Each episode spotlights standout audiobooks on Audible across all kinds of genres Sci fi, comedy, romance, thrillers and more. With Cal talking to guests who help break down what makes each story worth listening to.
Amy Robach
It's a fun, easy way to discover your next Great check out Earsay on
T.J. Holmes
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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T.J. Holmes
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T.J. Holmes
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Amy Robach
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T.J. Holmes
Don't go down the rabbit hole. Amazon Health AI gets you the right care fast. Healthcare just got less painful. Hey there folks. It is Tuesday, May 12, and an urgent Manhunt is underway in paradise for a husband wanted in connection with the death of his American wife. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Robes. I said right off the top, manhunt in paradise say what we're talking about. This is a gorgeous place, has known for some crime in the past and they don't necessarily want to scream and yell about this one. But Rose, we're talking about a place a lot of Americans have spent time.
Amy Robach
That's right. And her family is now doing the screaming and yelling because, yes, they want justice for their loved one. 36 year old Melissa Samnath went to Jamaica. We're talking about beautiful, gorgeous, sunny Jamaica in the Caribbean to celebrate her 37th birthday with her new husband who happens to be a Jamaican national. So she gets down to Jamaica on April 29. Her birthday is the following day, but by 11pm her family members get an urgent message and that is where we are. This is a frightening story. And they do not know where her husband is, but they do believe he, he is the man responsible for her murder.
T.J. Holmes
Okay. And the young lady we're talking about again, her 37th birthday, but she lives in Queens is where her family is. And so she goes down as we set this up. We're talking about. This has been a couple of weeks now, Rose, when she first went down. Now they did discover and found out she was dead. We're going to get into the details of how she was killed, they say. But no one was arrested immediately and they didn't necessarily announce we're looking for a suspect until several days later.
Amy Robach
That's correct. Look, and even when people were asking and news outlets were inquiring because her family was very upset about wanting information and wanting her husband brought to justice, you have a lot of competing interests and certainly the island of Jamaica doesn't want people to be concerned about coming down. Tourism is their biggest industry, obviously. So anytime there's a crime and certainly a murder of an American, of a US Citizen, a New York City resident. Yeah, they'd prefer. That does not make the headlines.
T.J. Holmes
And. But robes, let's say it out loud. This is in the Montego Bay area. Again, very popular area. A lot of people will fly into Kingston. It's Montego Bay and it's Ocho Rio. So the three places that. So Montego Bay is probably the most popular.
Amy Robach
Yes.
T.J. Holmes
Is it not?
Amy Robach
Absolutely. I, I've been to Jamaica once and I flew into Montego Bay.
T.J. Holmes
So this is the area we're talking about. Now she goes down her Birthday. And this is where robes. It's kind of amazing that we're only talking about this guy now. Again, April haven't. April 29th.
Amy Robach
April 29th is the last day she was alive.
T.J. Holmes
And we sit here on May 12th just hearing. Don't get me wrong, it may have gotten a little bit more attention there. But, Rose, they're just now starting to put out statements. And it wasn't that long ago that they said they were looking for him as a person of interest even. But, ro, this is April 29th. She goes down by herself. Even starting there, you're like, yeah, yeah, that just.
Amy Robach
She goes down by herself to meet her husband. And look, it's a little unclear. They weren't even quick to acknowledge that this was her husband. It's all been drips and drabs. And it actually took some detective work, some sleuthing on the Internet to try and really piece together what authorities know at this point. But we do know they are looking for her husband and they claim they don't know where he is. But this scene is out of a horror movie because reportedly Dane Watson is her husband's name. Reportedly he beat the hell out of her. Blunt force trauma to the head is her official cause of death, but put her in a wheelchair and just rolled her up near the front doors and walked away. So when the hospital, when emergency personnel found her, she was still alive, but not for long. She died at the hospital a short while later. And they were puzzled. They just see this, this American woman bleeding and bruised and beaten and barely alive in a wheelchair in front of their hospital.
T.J. Holmes
You know, I've seen some talk about that and criticism of that. Like, I think a family member was complaining like, you couldn't assist her, you couldn't get her into the hospital. At the same time, I thought, why would he take the time if he just beat the hell out of her to take her to the hospital? Like there was some gesture of still care and concern for. It was bizarre.
Amy Robach
That was bizarre. It's like, I'll try to make sure you don't die, but I'm not that invested if you do.
T.J. Holmes
Thought that was odd. But the whole evening, I guess leading up to that moment is for her family to be getting those messages from her, that had to be terrifying. And the feeling of helplessness, I can't imagine.
Amy Robach
Yes. Her sister described getting the last test text message they received. It was just before 11pm on April 29. It's been described as literally an hour before her birthday, her official birthday. She texted her Sister saying, I need you to call the cops. Look at my location. It's a pink house. That was what she was able to text her sister. That was her last correspondence, her last message to her family back at home. Her sister said she and her sister share locations, so she was desperately trying to get help, but it was too late.
T.J. Holmes
Can you imagine getting that message?
Amy Robach
No. I would have thought it was a joke. Maybe. I would. That's such a scary, unthinkable text to receive from your sister. Sister.
T.J. Holmes
Even 11 o' clock at night. I mean, the sister might not have even been awake to see it. Maybe didn't get until the next morning. We don't know that. But she said what was. Something was going on, that she knew she was in trouble.
Amy Robach
Yep. And she knew she needed help.
T.J. Holmes
But she's describing the house, even. How is she able to even do that? What. What were her circumstances? Those are some details we don't know yet.
Amy Robach
Yes. What we do know is that detectives reportedly did establish that she was in this pink house. They were able to go to it. They found her belongings allegedly alongside pools of BL blood. And they do have surveillance footage, according to police, following her from her Airbnb as her husband was carrying her suitcases behind her. So they do have her last known image, her last text. And they know that Watson is missing.
T.J. Holmes
Mia, I have this, right. She was at an Airbnb, but the blood and her belongings and things were found at his house, which is the pink house, Right?
Amy Robach
Correct.
Bowen Yang
Okay.
Amy Robach
Correct. So we understand, for whatever reason, it seems a little strange if they're married, that she would get an Airbnb, but for whatever reason, maybe he was living with relatives. Relatives. Or it was crowded there, so she wanted her own space. We don't know the circumstances, but there was, and there is footage of her with her husband rolling her luggage behind him, going into this pink house, which they believe is his house. And neighbors, Neighbors were talking. They were talking to the local paper. They were saying that he beat the hell out of her. He beat her in the head. So there people are talking. Obviously, if they're talking to the local reporters or the local press, they're certainly talking to police as well. And you actually have the official police statement. It doesn't give too many details, but they are at least acknowledging in that official police statement that they are looking for Dane Watson, her husband. Correct.
T.J. Holmes
Person of interest. And they now they call her in their statement here. And again, this is officially on the Instagram page of the Jamaica Constable Area Force. Now. They've been quoted plenty, and they put out a statement, but robes. They call her a jamaican national and u. S. Citizen residing overseas is how they describe her.
Amy Robach
Do you want to know why I believe they said that? Because a lot of these headlines have new york city are american tourists killed in jamaica. And that's a horrible headline for the country of jamaica, obviously. And maybe because she married a local, because she married a jamaican man, she was automatically granted some sort of jamaican national status. And so they wanted to put that up there because it seems a little less scary when you put it that way. I mean, it just does. For an american who's considering traveling there or who has vacation plans there, that feels a little less scary.
T.J. Holmes
Have you seen that in the headlines that she's being called a tourist?
Amy Robach
Yes, there have been plenty of headlines that have called her a tourist if you google her name. So that's the last thing jamaican officials want out there is that headline for anyone trying to decide where they'd like to vacation for the next year. And this is not the kind of publicity that they would like out there. So that would make sense to me why they called her a jamaican national.
T.J. Holmes
You know, that's. We were talking about sayulita and puerto vallarta not too long ago. A place we like to go once a year. Just after we saw that violence. It changes your thinking. Like, there's plenty of other places I can go that didn't just have that happen, babe.
Amy Robach
The place we stayed at that was gorgeous and beautiful two weeks later was half price. We actually went to go check and see, because people canceled their plans. People don't go to places where they feel like they. Their life might be threatened. And you. You pointed out jamaica definitely has had some issues and some trouble mostly with crime, robbery, that kind of thing.
T.J. Holmes
Gangs, drugs.
Amy Robach
Yes, yes, exactly. But when you hear murder. New York city. This woman lived in new york city. She lived in queens. She's the youngest of four, and she's a. She's an accountant here in the city. So she is an american. She lives in new york city. Yes. She married a jamaican man. But I'm sure her family would take great issue with her being called a jamaican national first.
T.J. Holmes
You know what? She's a. You know, she's relatable. Right. Even if you say new york to a new yorker, you hear queens, you think, oh, yeah, that's a real new yorker.
Amy Robach
Ex. Oh, queen. She's a real new yorker.
T.J. Holmes
Jamaica, queens, you hear accountant even, right? You hear that. Like, this is you. You get a sense of her in some way. Like, okay, she studies, she is capable, she is dependable, she's good with number. You hear all you think all these things about her to a point where, wow, that's could have been me on vacation.
Amy Robach
Exactly.
T.J. Holmes
And a woman going down to Jamaica on her own. Look, Rose, I don't know how her family felt about this, and I'm sure we'll hear more about it, but you're sending her down and putting her in the care of a some guy that even the the police down there are saying. It's our understanding she married in December.
Amy Robach
Yes, it's a little unclear exactly how that all happened. So there are, this is, it is fascinating because we are hearing from her family, we are hearing from her sister, we are hearing from her cousin. When we come back, we're going to tell you what they have to say about this young woman who it just, it's incredibly difficult to get your head around, who went down to celebrate her 37th birthday and wound up dead just hours later. If you're always on the lookout for a great audiobook or just want help figuring out what to listen to next, there's a podcast you should know about.
T.J. Holmes
It's called earsay, the Audible and I Heart Audiobook Club.
Amy Robach
Hosted by Cal Penn, each episode takes a closer look at some of the most talked about new audiobooks on Audible, spanning a wide range of genres, from sci fi and literary fiction to rom coms, thrillers and comedy.
T.J. Holmes
Kyle is joined by guests who dig into what these stories are about, what makes them stand out as audiobooks, and why they're connecting with listeners right now.
Amy Robach
If you're looking for your next listen, this is a great place to start.
T.J. Holmes
Listen to Hearsay, The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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T.J. Holmes
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Bowen Yang
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T.J. Holmes
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Amy Robach
Foreign. Welcome back, everyone, to this episode of Amy and tj, where we are following a a murder case with a man on the run. And we're talking about a US citizen, a New Yorker. Her name is Melissa Samnith. She went down to Jamaica, reportedly to celebrate her 37th birthday with her husband, a recent husband. From what we understand, she married him in December of 2025 and he lives in Jamaica. So she was going down there to celebrate with him and the last correspondence she had with her family was basically a cry for help. Call police. I'm in trouble, man.
T.J. Holmes
That's scary. Just a number of times. And I don't know where was the kid recently? The he was out in spring break. Ended up dead. Found him in the water. He'd been at a bar. I don't think there was.
Amy Robach
That was in Spain and that was a college spring break. No, but it's just one of those scary things because he got left alone and you think, oh, he's a tall guy, he's fine. But he obviously got too drunk, inebriated, and according to the Spanish police, I guess you just have to hope that they investigated it the way we would here. They believe he just fell into the water off a pier.
T.J. Holmes
Oh, my God. What was the damn rose? It was the one in Mexico with a drug they say they put the warning out about.
Amy Robach
That was the flight attendant who basically went out with colleagues in Colombia and had Devil's Breath slipped to him, they believe, and he wound up dead. So look, yes, this is scary. And we're talking about when people end up alone. And that's always what I tell my girls and even what I tell myself, that people love to travel alone. I know there's some adventure and excitement to it, but. And I know it's rare, but this is scary stuff. And her. Her family is speaking out, and her. Her niece is saying that Dane Watson, the husband's mother, and actually called the family and her sister corroborated this as well. And according to her family, his mother said basically that her son told her that his wife was either in the hospital or in the morgue and that he dropped her off at a wheelchair at the hospital. So her. According to the family, his own mother has admitted that her own son committed this violent act. So we'll see how much that would hold up in court. But look, Hernice said there is a murderer on the run, and he is clearly in an area with a lot of tourists. He is dangerous. Women need to be careful because you don't know what he is capable of. We cannot understand why he did this to her. She wasn't an evil person. She was the baby of our family. And now we have to bring her body back to Barry.
T.J. Holmes
You know who was that from?
Amy Robach
That was from her niece. And look, I don't know why. She spoke to the local paper. She wanted her name changed. She didn't want to be identified. She was concerned for her own safety. She said out of fear for her own safety, she put out that statement, but she didn't want it traced back to her name.
T.J. Holmes
The first part of that was. What was the first part?
Amy Robach
There is a murderer on the run.
T.J. Holmes
Next part.
Amy Robach
And he is clearly in an area with a lot of tourists. He is dangerous.
T.J. Holmes
Okay, look, man, wasn't there something you read that had a specific warning to women?
Amy Robach
Yes. Women need to be careful because you don't know what he is capable of.
T.J. Holmes
They don't need that headline.
Amy Robach
No, they don't.
T.J. Holmes
Women need to be careful traveling to Jamaica. All right, girls, let's switch. Let's go to another island.
Amy Robach
Yes.
T.J. Holmes
Like this stuff is. And I know, I don't think, Groves. At least they suspect he has any other targets, necessarily. But there is a guy capable they believe of murder and who seems to be hell bent on not getting caught.
Amy Robach
Yes, he is. He was described as being in hiding. And look, this is his home country. He's got family. He's got friends. He's got probably places where he can hide. And we don't know the Jamaican authorities, how they investigate these things, how important this is to catch him. I would imagine with a family member living in New York making statements like that, they probably want this to wrap up as quickly as possible.
T.J. Holmes
Yeah. I wonder who the family member fears.
Amy Robach
Right, Right. They might fear about someone coming to America or just some sort of retaliation for speaking out against him. But I do believe making a statement like that is sending a shot across the bow to Jamaican authorities. Find this guy because this isn't good for you. This isn't good for us. And they put out a family statement about Melissa. I think it's like we talk about the crime and how scary it is, but to just hear who she was. We talked about how she was an accountant. She's the baby of four. They said Melissa was a strong, loving and unforgettable woman whose warmth touched everyone around her. She loved traveling, she loved new places and spending time with the people she cared for most. Her loss has left a deep pain in our family that words cannot fully express. And I'm sure that pain is heightened by the fact that they don't have answers. They don't have justice. And the man who they believe killed her is free. That's scary and that's awful. That's troubling. And I do think it's concerning that we haven't heard more about it until now.
T.J. Holmes
Well, I'm gonna keep an eye on this one. Don't know how manhunts go down there, rogues and what kind of resources they have, but hopefully they grab him for the sake of. Well, sake of this family, but the sake of that island, for the sake of the people in that community. So, yeah, we just wanted to give you an update on that one. That was one that had headlines that jumped out at us. We always appreciate you spending time with us on behalf of my dear Amy Robach, I'm T.J. holmes. We'll talk soon.
Amy Robach
If audiobooks are your thing or you've been meaning to listen to more of them, you should check out a podcast called the Audible and I Heart Audiobook Club.
T.J. Holmes
Hosted by Kal Penn, each episode spotlights standout audiobooks on Audible across all kinds of genres. Sci, fi, comedy, romance, thrillers and more. With Cal talking to guests who help break down what makes each story worth listening to.
Amy Robach
It's a fun, easy way to discover your next great audiobook.
T.J. Holmes
Check out Earsay on the iHeartRadio app Apple Podcasts or you get your podcasts.
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Geico presents a 30 second podcast between your podcast, today's story is shared by one of our listeners. It's called Betrayed by Bill. It was in that moment I caught who was staring back at me in betrayal or more like what, my insurance bill. With trembling hands, I grabbed my phone and switched to geico, saving about $900 in the process and never to be betrayed again. Now that was bloody riveting.
T.J. Holmes
It feels good when the story ends with savings. It feels good to Geico Hot Take.
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This is Bowen Yang from Lost Culture Research with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. We all know the feeling when life gets really busy. Taking care of yourself can feel impossible. That's why Premier Protein shakes are my go to. They have 30 grams of protein, 160 calories, no added sugar, and they taste amazing. So they're a healthy choice you'll actually want to make. It's not just for fitness, it's for getting after life. The 30 grams of protein gives you the fuel you need. It's not just for intense gym sessions, it's just for with the wide variety of flavors from cafe latte to cake batter, it never feels boring. It's a flavor for everyone. I personally love the peaches and cream, but maybe you're a root beer floater cinnamon roll kind of person. Premier Protein empowers me to say yes to more. Find your favorite flavor@premierprotein.com that's P R E M I E R protein.com or at Amazon, Walmart and other major retailers.
Amy Robach
This is an I heart podcast. Guaranteed human.
Podcast: Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes Present
Hosts: Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes
Date: May 12, 2026
Episode Theme:
An in-depth discussion of the murder of Melissa Samnath, an American woman killed while celebrating her birthday in Jamaica, and the ongoing manhunt for her husband, who is the primary suspect.
This episode covers the tragic story of Melissa Samnath, a 36-year-old woman from Queens, New York, who traveled to Jamaica to celebrate her 37th birthday with her recently-married Jamaican husband. She was brutally attacked and killed, with her husband Dane Watson named as the primary suspect and currently on the run. Amy and T.J. unpack the details of the case, discuss the response of local authorities, examine the impact of such crimes on tourism, and share statements from Melissa's family as they seek justice.
"Her family is now doing the screaming and yelling because, yes, they want justice for their loved one."
— Amy Robach ([03:08])
"She texted her sister, saying, ‘I need you to call the cops. Look at my location. It’s a pink house.’ That was her last correspondence, her last message."
— Amy Robach ([07:40])
"He beat the hell out of her. Blunt force trauma to the head is her official cause of death, but put her in a wheelchair and just rolled her up near the front doors and walked away."
— Amy Robach ([06:08])
“Person of interest. And now they call her a Jamaican national and U.S. citizen residing overseas is how they describe her.”
— T.J. Holmes ([10:10])
“There is a murderer on the run, and he is clearly in an area with a lot of tourists. He is dangerous. Women need to be careful because you don’t know what he is capable of.”
— Statement from Melissa’s niece, read by Amy Robach ([18:39]-[19:11])
“Her loss has left a deep pain in our family that words cannot fully express. And I'm sure that pain is heightened by the fact that they don't have answers. They don't have justice. And the man who they believe killed her is free.”
— Amy Robach ([20:01])
“It changes your thinking… there’s plenty of other places I can go that didn’t just have that happen, babe.”
— T.J. Holmes, discussing how incidents like this impact travelers ([11:26])
The conversation is empathetic, detailed, and at times incredulous at the handling of the case. Both hosts balance factual discussion with emotional responses, expressing sympathy for the Samnath family and concern for travel safety, particularly among women.
For listeners:
This episode provides a thorough breakdown of a tragic, ongoing case with real implications for personal safety, international travel, and justice for victims. It is a striking reminder of the vulnerability any traveler may face and the critical role of transparency and urgency from authorities in both protecting and informing the public.