September 22, 2006 – Police have ruled out foul play in the death of a man found on the sidewalk in downtown Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, following an autopsy by Medical Examiner Dr. Francisco Landron.
The man, whom family members identified as Allister Trinchin, a 40-year-old native of Trinidad, was found near the eastbound lane of Veterans Drive just before noon on Monday.
V.I. Police Department spokeswoman Shawna Richards said results of an autopsy in another death — that of 34-year-old Moses "Shadow" James, of St. Croix — also ruled out foul play.
James' body was found floating in an opened cistern in La Grande Princesse earlier this week.
Richards said that police had scheduled a toxicology test for more conclusive information in James' death.
A toxicology test examines blood, urine, or hair for the presence of drugs. In rare cases, stomach contents, sweat, or saliva may also be examined.
James' body was discovered Sept. 17, nine days after he was reported missing, by a property owner who went to investigate the cause of a persistent foul odor. Police were called to the man's home at 8:39 a.m., and officers responding retrieved the body which was later identified as James.
Police said that the body was partially decomposed and that it had been floating in about 4 feet of water when it was found.
James' wife had reported him missing shortly after noon on Sept. 8, and police had been asking the community's assistance in finding him.
James, who wore his hair in dreadlocks, was employed with a Hovensa subcontractor, Wyatt V.I., and had last been seen in the LaGrande Princess area with friends the night before he was reported missing.
Some of his co-workers organized searches in Frederiksted last week after searching the LaGrande Princesse area to no avail.
