Minister says autopsy will determine if there was any foul play
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Minister of National Security Marvin Dames said yesterday his ministry has nothing to hide, insisting that every death at the Department of Correctional Services is investigated and an autopsy is performed.
An inmate recently died at the prison, though the cause and circumstances surrounding the death remain unclear.
While the minister said he had heard some suggestions that the inmate’s food may have been tampered with, he said the autopsy would determine the cause of death.
“All of the procedures are followed,” Dames told Eyewitness News Online.
“If there is some sign of foul play, an autopsy will determine that.
“We have nothing to hide and we will do what we have to do, but the police are called in with every death.”
Dames said deaths at the facility do occur.
He said in some instances inmates are sick and receive care.
“These things happen and until we get autopsy reports, we can’t really say much of anything,” the minister said.
“We have, certainly at the Bahamas Department of Corrections, from time to time, people who are serving time and there are persons who may be sick and who are receiving care — it’s like anywhere else — and from time to time persons do in fact die.
“The same procedure follows: someone dies, an autopsy is carried out and you know, the cause of the death will certainly be public. We have nothing to hide in that respect, nothing whatsoever.”
Asked for details on the prisoner who died, Dames said: “That’s as much as I know right now and we await the results of the autopsy.”
