KINGSHILL — Attorney General Gordon C. Rhea has issued a detailed response to Senator Kenneth L. Gittens, providing a roadmap for the restoration of forensic services on St. Croix and revealing the high cost of the current service gap.
In a letter dated January 20, 2026, Rhea sought to address public “frustration” by confirming that a modular morgue and autopsy suite should be operational in Estate Golden Grove by April of this year.
The High Price of “The Status Quo”
For the past year, the lack of a functional facility on St. Croix has forced the Department of Justice to fly the deceased to St. Thomas for autopsies. Rhea’s letter quantified the impact of this logistical hurdle:
- 52 transfers were conducted in 2025.
- $112,000.00 was spent on transportation alone.
Rhea noted that this practice was a temporary necessity after the Juan F. Luis Hospital (JFL) autopsy facility was ruled out due to terminal plumbing and infrastructure issues.
A “Perfect Storm” of Delays
The Attorney General defended the DOJ against claims of neglect, citing several factors beyond the department’s control that stalled the installation of a modular unit purchased three years ago:
- Contractual Legalities: The contractor, VESTA, was bought out by another company, requiring a total renegotiation of terms with the Department of Property and Procurement.
- Funding Shifts: Money originally set aside for the morgue “unexpectedly” became unavailable, leading to a lengthy search for new capital.
Staffing and the “Zero Backlog”
The letter also confirmed a mixed outlook on staffing. Dr. Pender, the pathologist for St. Croix, resigned recently due to “bureaucratic issues” regarding her payment. However, Rhea noted that Dr. Landron remains as the Territory’s sole medical examiner and has successfully cleared the backlog.
“To answer your inquiry, the number of outstanding or backlogged cases in the St. Croix District is currently zero,” Rhea wrote.
Final Outlook
With a final contract expected within the next week and the site already cleared near the former Toro building, Rhea signaled that the end of the crisis is in sight. “I believe we are near the end of what has been a long and tortuous road,” he concluded.
Timeline: The “Tortuous Road” to a St. Croix Morgue
The current crisis is the result of a multi-year series of infrastructure and administrative failures.
- 2016–2022: Pathology services are conducted at the Juan F. Luis Hospital (JFL) morgue. Conditions deteriorate due to lack of equipment and severe plumbing issues.+1
- June 2022: The St. Croix medical examiner (Dr. Pender) resigns, citing “horror movie” conditions. DOJ begins flying bodies to St. Thomas for autopsies at a cost of roughly $1,800–$2,000 per trip.+1
- March 2023: A $1 million modular morgue unit arrives on St. Croix. Lacking a permanent site, it is stored at the Port Authority under waterproof tarps.
- Mid-2024: Gordon Rhea takes over as Acting Attorney General. He finds the JFL facility inoperable and begins scouting new sites, eventually reverting to the Estate Golden Grove (Toro building) location.
- 2025: The DOJ spends $112,000 to transport 52 bodies between islands. The project hits a major snag when the contractor (VESTA) is acquired by another company, triggering a total contract renegotiation.
- January 2026: Senator Gittens visits the Port Authority and finds the modular units deteriorating. AG Rhea responds, promising the facility will be operational by April 2026.
Unanswered Questions for the Next Phase
While the Attorney General’s letter provides much-needed clarity, several “bottleneck” areas remain. These questions could be directed to the Department of Property and Procurement (DPP) or the DOJ during the next legislative session:
- Contractual Accountability: Now that the VESTA contract is being “re-negotiated,” what are the specific penalty clauses for further delays beyond the April 2026 deadline?
- Structural Integrity: Given that the modular unit has been exposed to the elements for three years, has an independent engineering firm certified that the “minor repairs” are sufficient to meet medical-grade laboratory standards?
- The “Missing” Funds: The AG mentioned that designated morgue funds “unexpectedly” became unavailable. Where exactly were those funds diverted, and what safeguards are in place to ensure the newly secured funding isn’t reallocated again?
- Staffing Resilience: With only one medical examiner for the entire Territory, what is the contingency plan if Dr. Landron is unavailable? Is there an active “locum tenens” (temporary doctor) agreement in place to prevent a new backlog?
- Community Aesthetics: Business owners near the Toro site previously expressed concern. Have the “lip-stick on a pig” concerns of local merchants been addressed in the final architectural plans to ensure the facility blends in with the commercial area
