Police on Tuesday found a decomposing body near a vehicle in Mount Welcome of a man reported missing. By. VI CONSORTIUM
ST. CROIX — The body of a man has been found decomposed in bushes near a vehicle of a person the V.I. Police Department has reported as missing.
According to V.I.P.D. Public Information Officer Toby Derima, on Tuesday at 8:10 p.m., detectives first discovered the vehicle — parked on the roadside in Mount Welcome just east of Sharkey’s Bait Stand — owned by the person reported missing. While checking the surrounding area, detectives found the body of a Black male in advance stages of decomposition.
Though police suspect the body may be that of the man reported missing Monday, named Johnny E. Caines, age 65, the department said it would await the results of an autopsy for positive identification.
Meanwhile, a homeless man was arrested Tuesday night at about 11:40 p.m. and was charged with obtaining money under false pretense and forgery. According to Mr. Derima, Michael T. Conklin, age 50 was observed on video surveillance using a bank card belonging to Mr. Caines.
According to a source with intimate knowledge of the matter, Mr. Conklin said he saw the parked car, went inside of it and took the bank card.
