Tobago Correspondent
There is a backlog of forensics cases in Tobago, with autopsies pending on seven bodies, including Sarah Smith and her two children, Genuine and Phoenix, who were found at the bottom of a decommissioned WASA tank in Parlatuvier on September 11.
Autopsies are yet to be done on Nicholas Mitchell and Brandon Edwards, who were killed by unknown gunmen in Argyle over the weekend, and on Razeen Quashie and Hakeem Anderson, both of Golden Lane, who died in a police-involved shooting on September 16.
A source said this is the highest number of autopsies pending in Tobago since 14 bodies were discovered on a boat that drifted to Tobago from Mauritania in 2021.
Reports are that forensic doctors, caught in disputes and refusing to travel to Tobago, have left autopsies on hold.
There is no resident forensic pathologist in Tobago, so forensic pathologists from Trinidad operate on a weekly rotation.
There are two main types of autopsies: forensic and clinical. Forensic autopsies are done in case of suspicious, violent or unknown cause of death, while clinical autopsies are performed by a clinical pathologist.
National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds said he was unaware of issues with forensic pathologists and delays in autopsies but said he would investigate before commenting further on the matter.
“Your intervention is the first time I’m hearing any matter of that nature and therefore I would want to make an enquire to find out what you are speaking about,” he said.
When acting director at the Forensic Science Centre Derrick Sankar was contacted about the situation he said he doesn’t speak to the media and redirected all questions to the centre’s office.
Since there is no resident forensic pathologist in Tobago, investigators usually have to wait approximately one week or up to a month, before one arrives to conduct the autopsy.
In 2017, after more than a month of delays, autopsies were done on Sylvester Marshal and Anita Jeffery, both from Trinidad, who died in separate incidents.
Now retired pathologist Dr Eslyn Mc Donald-Burris did the autopsies after being paid and resolving contract issues.
Jeffery, 37, collapsed and died after attending a religious event in Mason Hall. Her family complained of the emotional stress of waiting 31 days for the autopsy.
By the time it was done, her body had decayed significantly from being refrigerated for so long. The autopsy showed she died from pulmonary oedema and congestion, pending toxicology results.
Her family decided not to transfer her home for burial and instead laid her to rest in Tobago.
Marshal’s body was found partially decomposed in Parlatuvier. By the time his autopsy was done, he was so unrecognisable that his family considered doing a DNA test to confirm his identity. The autopsy revealed he died of natural causes.
Due to the condition of his body, the family decided to bury him in Tobago instead of returning his remains to Trinidad as planned.