Body at morgue 2 years

Mortuary staff at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) yesterday said they are fed up of trying to get the Arima Police Station to take action in order to remove the body which has been left at the mortuary for almost two years. One of the affected workers told Newsday he was concerned about taking diseases home to his family, because he has been exposed to the decomposing body several times since it was brought to the mortuary in September 2003. “It is taking up space. It is a health hazard,” he said. He regularly pours formaldehyde on the corpse to combat the stench caused by decomposition. The body has shrunk in size since it was first taken to the mortuary. No autopsy has been performed.

Correspondence and telephone calls to an Arima Police Station inspector asking for the body to be removed to the Forensic Science Centre in Federation Park have yielded no response. The worker told Newsday that the man died on September 15, 2003, and investigations conducted by the police revealed he was a homeless man who lived “under a bridge.” “All we wanted them to do was view the autopsy, and we’d dispose of the body. They keep saying that they are coming, but they said they still have to investigate,” the worker said. Although the man’s body is in two body bags, there is a strong, foul smell. Each body in the refrigerator is on a tray, but they are not separated by enclosed compartments. The worker said each time he has to open the refrigerator, he is overwhelmed by the smell.

“The police not doing anything. Since 2003 I am smelling this man,” he complained. The body was clad in black pants and a shirt. No comment was available from the inspector to whom letters were sent concerning the corpse. Newsday has learnt that another body has been unclaimed at the mortuary of the Sangre Grande Hospital for four months. It was reportedly found in an advanced stage of decomposition in Turure. The corpse was dressed only in underwear. Newsday was told that the body cannot be removed unless it is identified. The refrigerator housing the body is not working properly, and the company responsible for repairs has refused to do so while the decomposed body is there. The acting chief executive officer of the Eastern Regional Health Authority and communications officer were unavailable for comment yesterday.