Dr Alexandrov sent to Tobago

This as he too agreed with the position taken by the outspoken pathologist.

On Saturday, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry Vel Lewis contacted Dr Alexandrov and asked him to go to Tobago to conduct autopsies on the bodies — two being murder victims and the third, a suspected suicide — which have been outstanding for several days.

Dr Alexandrov left for Tobago yesterday to carry out the autopsies today on the bodies of Iris Benjamin, 71, Dexter Providence and another man who has not yet been identified. Benjamin allegedly committed suicide while the two men were shot to death. Sources revealed that Alexandrov agreed to go to Tobago on the condition that Pathologist Dr Hughvon Des Vignes shoulder the workload of all autopsies scheduled for today at the Science Centre.

When Newsday attempted to reach Dr Des Vignes for a comment yesterday, calls to his cellular phone went unanswered. Dr Alexandrov said he told Permanent Secretary Lewis that he didn’t mind going to Tobago because he felt the victims’ families were suffering unnecessarily in having to wait to get the bodies for final rites.

Alexandrov said he also is willing to meet with Lewis to discuss ways and means of dealing with delays in autopsies being done in Tobago, “once and for all.” At present, no pathologist is assigned to the Scarborough Mortuary and it is customary for pathologists to travel to Tobago to conduct autopsies.

Dr Alexandrov along with Dr Eslyn Mc Donald Burris have been travelling to Tobago to carry out autopsies. However, Burris is presently on leave and others at the Science Centre have refused to go to Tobago citing a shortage of mortuary attendants — a claim which Dr Alexandrov said is false.