Male Found August 8 Floating in Cruz Bay Still Not Identified

The body of a white male found floating in Cruz Bay on the morning of August 8 has not yet been identified.

There was no report of the incident on the public record at the V.I. Police Department Leander Jurgen Command.

The V.I. National Park reported to the V.I. Police Department at 10:15 a.m. that rangers had retrieved the body of a white male and brought him to the National Park dock in Cruz Bay, according to VIPD spokesperson Shawna Richards.

“A boat operator from Varlack Ventures notified park rangers of a male individual found floating in the waters of Cruz Bay, and an operator of a tour company had also notified the Park Service of the incident,” said Richards.

“The body had been seen floating about 20 feet offshore.”

Tattoos On Victim
The victim was described as a caucasian male, between 5’8” to six feet in height and weighing 170 to 190 pounds.

“Tattoos on the victim’s body are described as a drawing of a knife and a dagger on the left side of the body, what appears to be a drawing of a hyena on his right side and what appears to be a tattoo of a dragon on his right forearm,” said Richards. “At the time of death, the victim was wearing a brown t-shirt and blue short pants.”

The victim was transported to Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center, where he was pronounced dead at 11:25 a.m. by Dr. Elizabeth Barot.

Although there was no identification found on the body, there are possible clues to the man’s identity.

“Reports indicate there was a travelers check found in the victim’s pocket with a name written on it in ink,” said Richards, who did not release the name found on the check. “Police reports also indicate that a local vagrant approached police officers on that same day and handed over a folded piece of paper that was identified as a birth certificate that carried the same name as the travelers check. No conclusive identification has been made on the victim.”

Other than releasing information on the victim’s physical descriptors, including his tattoos, Richards said she has not done further publicity in an effort to confirm the victim’s identity.

No Foul Play Suspected
Police are unsure if the victim is a tourist or resident, according to Richards.

An autopsy was conducted on the victim on Aug. 10 by Dr. Francisco Landron, who concluded foul play was not involved in the victim’s death.

“The findings are consistent with drowning,” said Landron. “I don’t have anything in terms of his identification yet.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the Leander Jurgen Command at 693-8880.