Murder of Jayce Donovan in 2022: His Father, Noël Clovis, Requests His Remains for Funeral Arrangements
"I want to say goodbye to my son." This is the plea of a father who wants to give Jayce Donovan a proper funeral. Jayce was murdered and buried in the yard of his killer, William Sanassee, in February 2022. This Franco-Mauritian was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Assize Court on April 8th of this year.
Noël Clovis, 65, wants to see his only son one last time, but he knows that will never happen. Sitting by the sea, just a few meters from his home in Pointe-aux-Piments, the elderly man gazes at the horizon. Jayce Donovan, 28, left home on February 22, 2022, and never returned. It was only two years later that this father received the terrible news.
While the murderer, William Sanassee, 27, has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars, for this father, nothing can bring his son back. "I will never see him one last time. I cannot say goodbye to him," he says, on the verge of tears, trying to hide the immense pain that overwhelms him.
The elderly man shares that he separated from Donovan's mother several years ago, after which Donovan lived with her in Grand-Baie. He describes his son as resourceful, mentioning that he had had run-ins with the police and had to report regularly. Then, in 2021, he moved in with his father. "He told me he wanted to stay with me, and I welcomed him. He was working in masonry and was doing very well," explains Noël.
An Endless Search for Truth
On February 22, 2022, everything changed. "I left for work that day. When I returned, he was not home. I tried to contact him without success. Thinking he was at his mother's, I checked there and with other relatives, but Donovan remained untraceable. I eventually reported him missing at the Trou-aux-Biches police station, while his mother alerted the one in Grand-Baie," adds Noël.
Later, Noël learned that the last person to see his son was William Sanassee, a friend of Jayce. "He came to see him the day he went missing, and I suspected he had something to do with this tragedy. He passed by me as if nothing had happened, even though he had already killed my child," he recalls.
For many long months, this father lived in hell, not knowing where his son was. He remembers how, during this endless wait, every phone call filled him with hope for news. Driven by a deep desire for truth, he remained constantly alert for any hint around him. "I remember sometimes when I rode my motorcycle in the area, and I smelled something, I would stop to check, fearing I would discover my son's corpse," says Noël. He recalls going to the police to ask about the progress of the search, as the investigation was stagnating.
It wasn't until the Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT) took over the case in 2023 that the truth came to light. Jayce Donovan met a horrific end at the hands of William Sanassee. After coldly murdering him, he allegedly buried him in the yard of his home in Morcellement Ramdhony, Pointe-aux-Biches, where police found human remains. In September 2024, DNA testing confirmed that the remains were indeed those of Jayce Donovan Clovis.
Disturbing Revelations
A particularly sordid detail emerged in this case: the murderer confessed to having consumed the victim's flesh. When Noël learned of these abominable details, he was even more devastated. "He deserves to be locked away for life. I learned through the press that he ate my son entirely. For him to do that, he must have done it to others before. I shiver when I hear that. He needs to be locked away so he doesn't kill or eat anyone else," he confides.
"This case has completely shaken me. I could no longer work, and I retired," says Noël. He adds: "I thank the MCIT for their work on my son's murder. I finally needed an answer." He explains that he has never been able to grieve for his son: "Until we can hold his funeral, I cannot grieve." This is why he asks the authorities to return his son's remains: "Now that the verdict has been rendered, I would like to recover my son's remains to organize his funeral and mourn him."
Highlights from the Verdict
In his ruling delivered on April 8, 2026, Judge Mehdi Manrakhan noted facts of exceptional severity. The Court emphasizes that this case involves "facts of an exceptionally grave, disturbing, and abhorrent nature." The judge also insists on a "level of depravity rarely encountered" due to the concealment, desecration, and consumption of the remains. The judge writes that "the manner in which the murder was committed shows a high degree of premeditation, brutality, and callous disregard for human life." Thus, despite the defendant pleading guilty, the Court deems that "only a sentence of life imprisonment" is justified.
The Hidden Face of Johny Michel William Sanassee
Johny Michel William Sanassee, 28, was born in France. He moved to Mauritius with his parents and brother at age 11. His father is Franco-Mauritian, and his mother is French. The family settled in a house in Pointe-aux-Biches. He attended Père Laval College in Sainte-Croix.
In 2018, he went to La Réunion for his military service. Injured in the knee, he returned to Mauritius, where he did odd jobs working in local restaurants. In the meantime, his parents and brother moved to La Réunion. This left him living alone in the Pointe-aux-Biches house. Those who know him describe him as a "quiet boy."
It was at the beach that he claims to have met Jean Jayce Donovan Clovis, then 28 years old. "He has been to my place once with the singer Taf-Taf. Another time, he spent the night at my house," Johny Michel William Sanassee told the police.
A Disturbing Crime Story
Regarding the disappearance of his friend on February 22, 2022, police questioned Johny Michel William Sanassee about his whereabouts that day since he was seen with the victim on surveillance cameras along the coastal road of Pointe-aux-Biches.
Johny Michel William Sanassee states that after waking up that day, he went to get food since he was living alone at the time. He then went to Pointe-aux-Piments to see his friend Jean Jayce Donovan Clovis to borrow his surfboard. The two friends then went surfing on the beach in front of the Le Récif hotel, and he returned home afterward. Initially, he denied knowing what had happened to the victim.
On November 17, 2023, one of Johny Michel William Sanassee's friends recounted that he confessed to having killed Jean Jayce Donovan Clovis because the latter had behaved inappropriately with a young girl.
Police then excavated remains in a plot of land behind Johny Michel William Sanassee's residence.
Faced with DNA evidence, he eventually confessed to the crime. Thus, he was arrested by the police in December 2023, 22 months after the events.
In his confession, Johny Michel William Sanassee recounted that on the day of the tragedy, once at his residence and while Jean Jayce Donovan Clovis was at the table, he approached from behind and slit his throat with a knife before stabbing him in the head multiple times. He then wrapped the body in a sheet and threw the corpse over a wall before burying the body and its clothes. But the events did not stop there. A month later, Johny Michel William Sanassee returned to the scene, exhumed the body, and then mutilated the remains, including crushing the skull and consuming part of the human remains.
