ST. CROIX — The three St. Croix modular morgue trailers that have been sitting at the container port for nearly three years are deteriorating, with missing ceiling tiles and ripped protective tarps exposing their interiors to the elements.
About a year after the modular units arrived on island in March 2023, the Virgin Islands Department of Justice updated WTJX that they were expected to be installed by mid-2024. They remain sitting at the container port.
The prolonged absence of adequate morgue facilities on St. Croix and the departure of the forensic pathologist assigned to the Big Island have prompted Senator Kenneth Gittens to formally request answers from Attorney General Gordon Rhea.
Rhea, who acknowledged the torn tarps and missing ceiling tiles on the modular units, said those issues will not impede the construction of the modular morgue on government property located in Estate Golden Rock between Banco Popular and First Bank. He said he expects to get all the documents signed by next month to begin construction.
In a letter sent to Rhea Wednesday that WTJX obtained, Gittens noted that absence of the modular morgue and loss of the St. Croix medical examiner “continue to raise serious concerns affecting public health, public confidence, and the timely administration of justice.”
“This is not simply an administrative issue — it is a matter of dignity, justice, and basic fairness to the families of St. Croix,” Gittens said in a statement. “Families should not have to wait weeks or months to bury their loved ones because our territory lacks proper facilities and staffing. This situation has gone on far too long.”
Gittens, the Senate vice president, requested a detailed status update from Rhea on the St. Croix District morgue. He noted that the absence of a morgue on St. Croix “has placed an undue burden on grieving families and has resulted in unacceptable delays in post-mortem examinations and funeral arrangements.”
The letter calls for a clear timeline outlining when construction on a permanent St. Croix morgue will begin and when the facility is expected to become fully operational. It also asks whether legislative action is required to move the long-delayed project forward and, if so, what specific support the Legislature could provide.
Compounding the issue, the St. Croix District is without an assigned forensic pathologist so bodies must be transported to St. Thomas to be autopsied by Dr. Francisco Landron, the territory’s only medical examiner at this time.
Gittens requested clarification on the circumstances surrounding the “abrupt departure” of the pathologist previously responsible for St. Croix cases, as well as data on the impact of that departure. Specifically, the attorney general was asked to disclose how many cases remain backlogged, how many bodies have been transported from St. Croix to St. Thomas for autopsies during calendar year 2025, and the total cost incurred by the Department of Justice for those transfers.
“Autopsies must be conducted in a timely manner so that families may have closure and proceed with funeral arrangements for their loved ones,” Gittens wrote. “The routine transport of bodies from one district to another due to the lack of proper facilities on St. Croix is unacceptable, unsustainable, and warrants immediate attention and corrective action.”
Dr. Jacqueline Pender is the medical examiner who previously conducted autopsies in addition to Landron. Rhea said Pender has resigned. He said receiving payment from the government for her work had been an issue.
“We send our invoices over to Department of Finance as soon as we get them from the doctors, and they don’t get paid on time,” Rhea said. “Obviously, that’s been very frustrating to her.”
In addition to the DOJ’s effort to maintain the services that Pender provided, Rhea said the DOJ is in the process of hiring another medical examiner, noting the department has a few potential candidates.
“We’re taking it seriously because autopsies are extremely important,” he said.
While Pender experienced delayed payments, Rhea said Landron’s invoices have all been paid and he has completed all current St. Croix autopsies.
Landron and Pender both bill the territory for the autopsies they perform, Sandra Goomansingh, DOJ spokesperson, wrote in an email to WTJX in March 2024. At the time, the DOJ had spent $1 million on a temporary, modular morgue facility for St. Croix. Landron was conducting autopsies on St. Thomas, while Pender autopsied the bodies that originated on St. Croix at the facility on St. Thomas. The DOJ indicated that the modular morgue needed “minor construction” before it could be put in place, noting it was expected to be functioning “in the coming months.”
The modular morgue is 2,400 square foot structure, with lobby and reception area, viewing room, two medical examiner offices, an autopsy room with double bays for two autopsies, public restroom, staff restroom, clean room, office for legal death investigators, walk-in cooler and closets for equipment and supplies
Gittens, in his letter, requested clarity regarding the modular morgue. He asked how long the unit has been on island, whether it is currently stored at the St. Croix container port and exposed to the elements, and how much the government has spent to date on storage costs.
Given the seriousness of these issues and their impact on the community, and more so the people of St. Croix, Gittens requested a written response within a reasonable time frame.
“The people of St. Croix deserve transparency, accountability, and prompt action to remedy these long-standing deficiencies,” Gittens wrote.
