Government

Transportation of Deceased Costing Dept. of Justice Nearly $2,000 Per Body; Temporary Morgue on St. Croix Months Away

It’s costing the U.S Virgin Islands government $1,900 for each body the V.I Department of Justice transports to St. Thomas to be autopsied, since the Medical Examiner’s Office at the Juan F. Luis Hospital was deemed unusable as a result of substandard working conditions caused by years of neglect.  Currently, all autopsies— regardless of where the death occurred—is being performed in St. Thomas until the St. Croix Medical Examiner’s Office including a morgue and autopsy suite is established. Since the practice began, the department has spent approximately $5,700 to transport six bodies to be examined.  In late October of 2020, D.O.J. was informed that the hospital’s morgue was going to be demolished and D.O.J. officials said they were given 90 days to vacate the building. Yet almost a year later, the department is transporting bodies to St. Thomas instead. The matter involving the morgue on St. Croix became a focal point following a Consortium report on the horror movie conditions a...