[dropcap]J[/dropcap]ust give us our body!” This was the desperate cry from families I spoke with on Tuesday afternoon. “We want our bodies so that they can bury them and find closure.” The families are from Coolie Town. The bodies they tearfully referred to were the victims of what has become known as the Coolie Town rum incident: Barry Joseph, Titus William, Petra Henry and another unidentified individual, all of whom died this year, allegedly soon after ingesting at a wake what they believed to be alcohol—but widely rumoured to be methanol, a colourless, poisonous liquid
Days after the deaths the chief medical officer, Merlene Frederick, briefed the public on the situation. She said: “We had a health team actually going on the ground. Of course nothing can be confirmed so far, but preliminary investigations suggest the substance wasn’t only used at a particular event, that it may have been sold to certain bars in the area. All of the signs and symptoms that we’re seeing in the affected patients suggest it may be methanol.”
As I went from house to house in Coolie Town, pain and frustration was evident as relatives of the deceased wonder if and when they will get a definite word on what happened to their kin, and how much longer they will have to wait for an official word on the Coolie Town incident, how much longer they have to endure.
Barry Joseph, 40, was a mechanic, generally considered a master of all trades. He was the eldest of three siblings who all lived together. He was the father of 16-year-old Sierra. His sister, Bernitta, remembers him as a helpful individual who was always willing to help out whenever asked. Bernitta admitted that Barry was indeed a strong drinker and that he had been drinking at a wake. His death has left her altogether heartbroken. On that day in question she received a call informing her that her brother was dying. At the hospital he was unable to speak and was placed on life support for about ten minutes. She told me that, with nothing more anyone could do for him, “it was up to me to agree to remove him off life support. That is a decision no family member ever wants to make!”
Initially, her family was told by medical people that samples were taken from Barry’s body, sent overseas and they would have to wait two weeks for the result of tests. But last week they were informed that it would take longer.
Bernitta revealed to me that she had to think very hard about talking with me. “It hurts so much having to relive the situation.”
Titus William, 58, was the father of Patrisca who is just 19. He was a construction worker and also a farmer. She is the last of his eleven kids. She, too, was reluctant to recall how her father died but at one point during our interview, she paused, smiled, then said: “I loved him so very, very much.”
Forty-five year old Petra Henry is described by her sister, Theresa Henry, as jovial and loving, although she made frequent use of expletives. She left behind six children, the youngest aged just thirteen. Theresa recalled spending time with her on the day she died. She seemed fine, with no indication of what was to come. She felt sick suddenly and had to be taken to hospital where attendants noticed “her face was not looking good”. While her family made it clear she had not attended the wake, they could not say how or where she was exposed to the poisonous drink. Theresa says she has had many sleepless nights agonizing over her sister. But she remains hopeful, nevertheless, that she’ll receive the call that will set her mind at peace.
The families of Barry Joseph and Petra Henry expressed disappointment at the way the Coolie Town situation is being handled by the authorities: there has been no useful communication. Compounding things is the fact that the families are not allowed to see their relatives’ bodies. The last time they saw their loved ones was when the bodies had to be identified. One family member also referenced a song about the situation. “It’s not nice, so insensitive, and it should not be played.”
On Thursday Mr. Leroy Charles, acting inspector of the Major Crime Unit, provided the following update: “So far we have four confirmed deaths based on the incident that occurred at Coolie Town. I can confirm to you that three of the individuals, two males and a female, lived at Coolie Town. The fourth individual who died is not from Coolie Town, but all four deaths are linked to the circumstances that occurred.”
He added: “Samples were taken from all four bodies and sent overseas. As we speak, we’ve gotten some of the results. I can tell you that results have been forthcoming so far. Within the next week or two, we should be able to get all four results. It was not just only samples from the four deaths. A gentleman brought in a sample of what they’re saying is the alcohol that was consumed. All samples were sent overseas.”
He further confirmed: “There have been no arrests. We are still working on leads. We’re still trying to establish who exactly brought the substance to Coolie Town and how it got consumed.”
