The Tribune

By SYANN THOMPSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

sthompson@tribunemedia.net

FAMILIES of the two Bahamian men found dead in Italy have yet to receive the final toxicology reports seven months following their deaths.

Father of Blair John, Randolph John, is concerned that months have passed since the death and they continue to waiting for the reports from Italian authorities.

Mr John believes that each piece of information can help in closing the “loopholes” surrounding the deaths of his son and Alrae Ramsey.

“Today we still do not have an official postmortem report or the toxicology report for Blair and Alrae. My concern is that the final report may be cut and tailored to suit the conclusions that the Italian authorities want and what works best for them,” said Mr John.

Ramsey 29 and John 28 were found dead in the Po River in Turin Italy in June 2019. Italian police classified their deaths as accidental. However, some family members maintain their belief that the young men were murdered. A toxicology report, which reportedly takes up to six weeks or longer, shows substances that may have been in the system.

Mr John said that he has been sending emails to authorities for updates including the Minister of Foreign Affairs Darren Henfield and Bahamas High Commissioner in London Ellison Greenslade.

“I have sent a detailed email to Darren Henfield and hadn’t got a response. I also sent an email to Ellison Greenslade who replied quickly. I simply asked Mr Greenslade for an update on the matter since he was the one who visited Italy. I have been checking to see if the minister has had the time to offer me the courtesy of a decent response and what progress if any the Italian attorneys may have had,” he said.

It has been a difficult Christmas for the John family with Blair not around, Mr John said that his daughter Brittany who just graduated with her Master’s degree in London and his son Tyler in grade 11, are still grappling with the loss of their brother. “I have sought counselling for him (Blair’s brother) to get over his grief at losing his only brother. For Brittany we haven’t mentioned Blair much during my visit because I know it’s still fresh. She has had to identify his body and I’m sure that is indelibly etched in her memory for the rest of her life,” he said.

Mr John has been relentless in wanting justice for his son, who was a PhD student and Alrae Ramsey, a diplomat. He said, “Blair and Alrae cannot fight for themselves, defend their names, or seek justice for themselves. We as their remaining families and survivors need to do that.”

The Tribune spoke with Minister of Foreign Affairs Darren Henfield who gave an update on the deaths of Blair and Alrae, stating that obtaining information has been ongoing.

He said: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the office of the Attorney General are working very intimately with this matter. As the attorney general would have stated, the government has hired a law firm in Italy.

“The government wants to find out what happened. We realise the great loss and we’ve felt this as a nation. When they died it reverberated through the country. These promising young men had great careers ahead of them. We have not forgotten them, and we are working to find out.”