The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames could not say in a recent interview if the Coroner’s Court will launch further inquests that would see more people who went missing during Hurricane Dorian be declared dead.

In May, then-Coroner Jeanine Weech-Gomez declared dead 22 people who family members had reported missing after Hurricane Dorian. She ordered that death certificates be produced for some of them.

This came after she spent about a month hearing the emotional testimonies of relatives who spoke about the circumstances surrounding the presumed death of their loved ones.

However, that only 22 people were declared dead at the end of that process raises questions about the scores of others Mr Dames said were still missing up to June of last year.

While responding to criticism from former Health Minister and Elizabeth MP Dr Duane Sands, Mr Dames said at the time that 279 people were still missing after Hurricane Dorian, according to the list provided by his ministry. His comment appeared to contradict the list provided by the police, which had 22 people reported missing. Police took 21 DNA samples from relatives.

Asked if residents should expect another Coroner’s Court inquest to declare other people dead, Mr Dames could not say.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have the updates right now,” he said.

“If you could recall when we initially addressed this matter we said this is a very dynamic situation and as is always the case when you’re dealing with missing persons from events such as this things are always moving and so sometimes you find persons, persons are later located and so I don’t have in my possession right now the latest updates from the police so I think I would need to get that or you would have to refer that to the police but I’m certain they would be able to justify wherever they are right now.”

Last year, Dr Sands criticised the government’s handling of Dorian’s missing people, saying there was no explanation for how hundreds of names were excluded from an early list of people who were reported missing.

In late May, Mrs Weech-Gomez was sworn in as a justice of the Supreme Court. A new coroner has not yet been appointed.