Autopsies are being delayed as a result of the Office of the Medical Examiner having only one forensic pathologist, who is currently on vacation, according to the V.I. Department of Justice. That one examiner, Dr. Francisco Landron, is expected to be back on the job June 4, "at which time all services will be resumed," Attorney General Vincent Frazer said in a statement Wednesday.
Frazer said it is not possible to solicit the services of a forensic pathologist from out of the territory on short notice during such absences as V.I. law requires the medical examiner to be licensed by the V.I. Board of Medical Examiners. "Therefore, only a forensic pathologist who maintains current license credentials in the V.I. can be called upon to provide services in the absence of Dr. Landron,” Frazer said. Frazer apologized for the delays, acknowledging they have been inconvenient for families seeking to inter their late loved ones.
Landron has been the territory’s sole examiner since 2008, when Gov. Juan Luis Hospital’s examiner resigned rather than renew her license (See related link below). Having only one has proved problematic in the past too, with reports in 2010 that the pace of homicides was outpacing the ability of the medical examiner’s office to keep up (See related link below).
