By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

FOUR badly burned bodies, which were discovered last week on Anguilla Cay and were the cause for much confusion, were brought to New Providence yesterday.

According to Royal Bahamas Defence Force officials, a forensic team with other officials, arrived at the scene, which is in the area of Cay Sal Bank near Cuba, on Thursday evening.

Once there, an RBDF official said the bodies of three men and one woman – all presumed to be Haitian nationals – were screened and later taken to Nassau.

According to Lieutenant Commander Raymond King of the RBDF, police officers assisted in the recovery of the bodies, which they found “within minutes” of landing on the cay.

“Police then conducted crime management and investigations around the area,” he said. Foul play, he added, is suspected in the matter because tyres were visibly used to burn the bodies of the victims. The RBDF said they do not know how the bodies got on Anguilla Cay.

The team of RBDF officers, with the bodies, arrived at Port Nassau at around 9:30am. Speculation over the matter was raised after Defence Force Commodore Roderick Bowe confirmed that a discovery had been made last week.

Commodore Bowe told the media that any further details would have to come from the Commissioner of Police.

However, on Tuesday, while neither confirming nor denying whether there was a discovery at Anguilla Cay, Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade warned the public to be “very, very careful” when listening to crime “opinions” that do not come from him.

In addition, last week, police officials told The Tribune that investigators did not find any skeletal remains on the cay. However, they said they were continuing their investigations.

Mr Greenslade told the media that there was “absolutely no contradiction about bodies being found.”

“Reports,” he said, “come to the police department. When they arrive at our attention we do the due diligence in terms of following up. When the commissioner is satisfied that we have anything to report to you in respect of dead bodies we’ll let you know.

“Anybody else that’s reporting, well, as I said previously, when people offer opinions and they are not the Commissioner of Police and they are speaking about crime, you should be very, very careful.”