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Resident complains over length of time state releases bodies for burial
In an interview with this news site, the individual, who chose to remain unknown, said there are several cases where persons passed away and the grieving family has to wait too lengthy a time for the corpse to be released so that preparations for burial could begin.
“You can’t take a week to do that; that keeps the people in limbo. People have to make reservations,” the source, who appeared to be well informed on the matter pointed out.
The source also mentioned several other cases, in recent times who suffered similar fates, however, due to the sensitivity of the matter we chose to withhold the names.
“…This causes stress on the family, these people died at home, these people were under the doctor’s care, if you have to do an autopsy, the Coroner should step in and look at this thing…The people in charge have to say ‘lord think of the family,’ they have their job to do but what about being sympathetic and moving along a little faster?”
Procedure
According to our information, when someone passes away, and was perhaps ill and under doctor’s care, the medical report is then retrieved from the doctor by the law enforcement officers who come to the scene.
This medical report is then brought to the Coroner at the Magistrate’s Court, who will then assign it to an officer who will proceed to prepare the death report.
Upon receiving the death report, the Coroner will decide if there is a need for an autopsy and if they don’t, it will take about 3 days.
“Sometimes it runs a little longer or a little shorter, it all depends on how everybody is cooperating,” our well-placed source said.
Similar concern expressed in December 2016
It was in December of last year that relatives of Dexter Cottoy aka ‘Deckie’ and Calbert Browne aka ‘Buju’ who lost their lives in a tragic automobile accident on the sister island of Virgin Gorda on November 28, 2016 and the young man Estavan Jefferson, who was shot to death at the Stickett in Long Look, Tortola on November 17, 2016, had expressed concern at the length of time the state was holding the bodies.
At the time police and BVI Health Services Authority officials were still waiting to conduct investigations as to the cause of death.
It is standard procedure that an official autopsy must be carried out and that could include waiting for a medical examiner from overseas, according to police sources.
It is unclear if the BVI Heath Services Authority has plans to hire a full time medical examiner (pathologist) for the Virgin Islands.
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17 Responses to “Resident complains over length of time state releases bodies for burial”
From my family's experience, a big part of the slow down has to do with getting a forensic pathologist to visit and conduct the autopsy. They had to fly one in from St.Croix, and that prolonged the process. They need to fix this. People die it appears every week here. There should have a permanent pathologist to conduct autopsies already. It will speed things up.
The back and forth with the Coronor in terms of collecting information and assigning it to an officer could be streamlined and improved as well. This is perhaps the only place that I am aware where someone dies and it takes weeks before you can get them buried. Terrible.
If the hospital is making $60 a day. Why release tbe bodies on a timely manner? All jokez aside. Is money they want to make out of the poor people?
Maybe the complaints commissioner can help ?
The others don't care