Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death, on Sunday, August 23, 2015, of a man from Coulibistrie.
Desmond Roudette died while being transported to the St. Joseph Health Centre after he was found in a state of physical distress at his Coulibistrie home.
A friend of the deceased, Cyrus Sebastien, told Dominica News Online (DNO) that he was the one who found Roudette at about 6.15 am. on Sunday. He explained that he had made a routine stop at the home of the deceased while going to tend to his own business.
“When I approached the house, I heard a strange noise which sounded like a blender. I found that unusual, so I went inside and saw him sitting on the sofa. He was suffering and his stomach was going up and down and something was coming from his mouth,” Sebastien recounted.
He said he then sought out Roudette’s sister who went in search of the village nurse while he went back and stayed with the afflicted man.
Sebastien said that it was only when Roudette was being lifted off the sofa in order to be transported to the St. Joseph Health Centre, that “we realized he was tied up around his abdomen and his hands were also tied at his sides and to the structure on which he was sitting.”
According to Sebastien, because there was no ambulance service immediately available, the distressed man was taken via passenger bus to St. Joseph. He said although he travelled with the party, he only found out when they arrived at the destination, that Roudette had died along the way.
He said the police have questioned him on the matter and told him that he could be questioned again during the course of their investigation.
Sebastien said that it’s too early to tell what happened to Roudette and that, he believes, will be up to the police to find out.
However, he thinks that for the moment, a big, unanswered question lingers on the minds of many Coulibistrie villagers.
“Because if I drink……….whatever, why should I tie myself up. That doesn’t make sense.”
DNO will continue efforts to get an official report from the police on the incident.
I find it strange that the person who found him, can describe how his stomach was going up and down, but didn’t see him tied around his abdomen. Furthermore, he is implying that the person was poisoned. Take a deeper look into this man’s story, he might not be the good Samaritan, but the actual perpetrator.
I don’t get it. The govt is not the only one who can open up a business and provide ambulance services. A private citizen who does not have a ‘job’ yet can seek means to open that type of business. It’s a void ( not having enough ambulances) and the right person with a business mind can begin to fill it. If done right it could be a lucrative business seeing it is a demand in our country. That said. I’m not sure how the ban on smoking and sugary diets has anything to do with someone who was obviously murdered based on the news article. If I read right and to paraphrase ‘ he was tied up and heaving’. IMO (in my opinion) if we step away from the nitty gritty politics and open our minds we could be the force that changes our country.
cont.
him.
The Real Facts….
I more so have to say a prayer for you ,because I believe you are in need of a whole lot. I’ve got to ask HIM to have mercy on you and to open up your spiritual eyes and ears in order for you to come to a real understanding of the truth in HIS holy word. To be able to rightly divide error from truth.
As a child of THE MOST HIGH GOD,and I use child rather than christian since now a days so many call themselves christian ,I can only tell someone of the good news.No child of GOD can help change any person soul.I could not change mines so how can I help change someone else.I can only pass the word on and GOD the FATHER,GOD the SON and the HOLY SPIRIT does the rest.That’ their expertise.
And here’s a little food for thought.The MOST HIGH GOD saves who HE wants to save and have mercy upon who HE wants to have mercy.
HE says for a person to prepare himself and stay that way since no one knows the hour.If HIS instructions is heeded the person needs no one to pray for…
DamnA## he is NOT from Calibishie. He was from Coulibistrie! Two different villages on different parts of the island!!! Read and understand before u sound off!
ok 6;15 am , heard a sound like a blender, went in and see mr Desmond suffering, sfuff coming from his month, stomach going up dawn, went and get his sister, I stay with him,.*********what happen when the nurse came, because they did not notice that he was tie until he was lifted from the chair, oh and he was tie to the chair, what exam did the nurse do. no ambulance, local bus transport to St Joseph, travel with the party to the clinic , but did not know victim die on the way to medical clinic. SOMTHING IS MISSING DOES NOT MAKE SENCE. AND THEY NEED AMBULANCE SERVCES IN THE VILLAGE WITH A DRIVER AND PARAMIDIC.
At 6 am in the morning you made a routine stop at the men home ?
The circumstance surrounding he is death seems to be foul play; it appears as if he was poisoned!
What I do not understand, is this; if the St. Joseph they are talking about is the village of St. Joseph, unless I am confused, or the land of Dominica has changed geographically, Portsmouth once had a hospital; which should still be in operation: Portsmouth is nearer to Calibishe, so why take him to a clinic in St. Joseph?
And what if the Marigot Hospital was still in existence? His life would probably be saved!
That’s the way to go Skerrit, we have the best medical services in the entire West Indies, as always the best in the world!
He is from COULIBISTRIE ……..READ TWICE BEFORE REPLYING
Okay great I oversight, in any event why they did not try to head to the PM hospital where if he made it his chances of surviving would be much better.
The nurse in the village should have realized if the man was forming from his mouth, she/he should have suspected poison, and if they not have purged him the simplest treatment they could provide was to give the man some milk; milk neutralizes poison.
Well, I may deserve the thumbs down the first time, because I got screwed up with Calibishe and the one, near St. Joseph, maybe that is because I doh know how to spell: let me see how many thumbs down I am going to get on this one.
Earl boy; if you read this doh laugh too much sorry ah fail to identify your village oui!
It is Coulibistrie, near Colihaut and Salisbury. Coulibistrie is closer to St. Joseph. Not Calibishie.
Calibishie is on that side of the island.
I (we) forgot you are originally from Wesley.
You would know it all just as your stupid leaders all good for rubbish, things like you lots giving Dominica name oversea’s , go play in your pants.
mistake ; giving Dominica a bad name oversea’s
So people don’t die in those countries with state of the art medical equipment and services? PM is blamed for everything.
There is no mention of Calibishie, it’s coulibistrie
Telemaque. you have done it again with your thumbs rating. Along with your poor reading comprehension, your last line is the major contribution to that rating; mine is number 20–boy you are something else wee!
Praying is good, praying to the wrong one is bound to get you in trouble…ask Black people – they still have not recovered since 1492
The things some people say. What do you mean praying for the wrong one is bound to get you in trouble?
God knows if people pray for the wrong one. You cannot determine that.
We pray that God will convert people.
We pray that God will protect each one of us, no matter who we are or whatever anyone has done.
We pray that God will save them. For He is God, the Judge.
Our Lord Jesus Christ said: “For human beings, everything is impossible. For God nothing is impossible.”
Where God is concerned, prayers are never lost. We are to pray for everyone with no exception. God will take those prayers and do with them whatsoever He wills. If for whatever reason the person/soul does not need the prayers, they will be given to others who are in need of them. They also return with blessings and graces on those who fervently pray for them with a humble and contrite heart.
Do you know what is contained in Holy Scripture especially the New Testament, the Word of the Lord?
Meantime back at the Ranch Mr. Skeritt is talking about getting Dominicans to stop Drinking and smoking and chastising them for bad etiquette while driving. You see the psychology behind that ?
Coming soon what brand of Toilet Paper You must use !
He also advised them to be godly. Worship, prayers, penance, repentance and restitution to God. You cannot go wrong doing that. You have much to gain.
it look like foul play was involve tie him up and feed him poison if thats the case and who ever did it think that nobody saw them but guess what god saw them, and there is a punishment waiting for who ever did it
sir i find it a little peculiar that you did not attempt to ask your friend anything before seeking his sister. i’m thinking if i went to my friends house and met him there with white stuff coming from his mouth i’d run to him and try and ask him what wrong?what happen? if i cant get a response or something then i’d try and get his sister or help but i guess that’s just me,and how it is possible that you missed seeing him tied up?how could you miss seeing lack of hand movements?i’m thinking maybe dno left out part of your story cause its a little off.anyway,you probably would not have been able to save him but maybe you could have gotten a little bit of helpful info to help solve this bizarre mystery.
RIP sir.
I feel so sad and sorry that this occurred to the man and he suffered in this manner. Actually, thinking of it is upsetting.
Who could have done that to him? Well, God knows. In time He will deal with that person who will not escape his justice.
IT is easy to say when the horse is bolted this is a job for the police not you.
RIP How very, very sad. Two people dead last week in peculiar circumstances at their home and now this tragedy!! What on earth is going on in our beautiful peaceful nature island of Dominica! My condolences go to both families of the deceased.
Pray consistently for Dominica and all nationals. In bygone years such did not occur or at least it was not so common.
If you are especially a Christian Catholic, bless Dominica with Holy Water. It could be done from afar; also yourself and your family; everyone in general.
You should know, God knows, sees and hears all things. Nothing is hidden from him. He is pleased with whatever holy gesture is performed in His Name and asking for his divine help..
ALREADLY, all that rubbish being said please wait for the police report before talking crap again day long .
THE police must work quickly to fined out what has happen in coulibistrie before it happens again soon.
Wow – very interesting
This is sad news indeed. It’s time to add ambulance bays to the police stations on the West Coast. If someone is in distress or needs medical attention, there are no ambulances available to assist them. Except for ambulances at the Canefield Airport, the next ambulance bay would be in Portsmouth. That’s a long distance to travel, before first responders can render medical care to those who need it.
Dominica has ambulance? What we have is no better than a bus and a driver.
Instead of calling and waiting for the “ambulance” to arrive, you will get to the hospital much quicker if you call on the services of a local bus or a friend with a car.
Anthony just for your information St. Joseph does have an ambulance bay, guess none was available at the time for whatever reason…
Zandoli it is maybe time we start charging for ambulance services so we can upgrade, what you think????
Joe, the vehicle is important provided it is equipped with live saving equipment and trained paramedics.
Otherwise, as I said you are better off getting the first available vehicle in the village to make your way to the hospital.
As an example, even if there was an ambulance in St. Joseph, by the time the ambulance reached Coulibistrie, the victim could have been on a bus or in a car and they would have passed the ambulance in Mero on their way to the hospital. Furthermore the ambulance driver would have been no help to the patient if he went into difficulty on the way to the hospital.
Police officers should also respond to these situations and render first aid as needed. Every community should have first responders capable of attending to their inhabitants. These are the issues that we should be advocating for on the island. After reading the story, it appears that the individual who found the victim had no one to turn to for assistance and that’s sad.
I must state you made me laugh.
Some equipped ambulances are required.
Nevertheless, a person in distress, a person who it appears to have been harmed, they should not disturb the evidence.
When they noticed he was tied to the chesterfield and his hands tied at his sides, they should have left him.
They should even have said some prayers for him. Whatever the circumstances, we must never neglect to pray.
I know they meant well, to get help for him. They should have telephoned the police, If the man could drink, they should have at least given him some water or milk, the latter if there was some in the home.
The police should take fingerprints on the person and at the scene of the supposedly crime. These are important for the case and hopefully to eventually catch the perpetrator(s).
St. Joseph has a fire and ambulance station….just to let you know.
Anthony just for your information St. Joseph does have an ambulance bay, guess none was available at the time for whatever reason…
The government authorities should look into it and conduct an investigation, why an ambulance was not available to transport the man to the hospital.
Were the drivers sleeping?
St. Joseph is some distance away from where the individual became ill. I’m always confounded by these issues that never seem to improve. Where’s the village council in this process? In this day and age, these systems should have been upgraded years ago. Then again, if it took this long before anyone thought of rebuilding the PMH, I can only imagine what the remainder of our health care system looks like.
Adding voluntary first responders is something that we should also consider.
These are the things that should be allocated for in the budget. A couple ambulances in the different areas around the country.
Nature the budget is over 400 pages it does cover a lot of areas which will include these capital expenditure, however the Prime Minister speech is not the Budget it is just a summary of the directions the ruling party intends to take the country.
The opposition party gets this budget (NOT THE P.M SPEECH) at least a month in advance, i heard the Opposition Leader asking for it at least 3 months in advance, which means he wants an incomplete document as the process is usually a long drawn out one involving all government departments, including local governments (Village councils).
The opposition party must take time off their busy schedule (Doing what only the good lord knows) to analyse the over 400 page BUDGET document to give a better rebuttal that will also educate the public.
SMDFH with these so call opposition……
What has gone wrong to my village? There is no way one could drink poison and tie up himself…..someone else is involved….I pray that the person or persons be found
R I P cuz Desmond
I hate to state this. Someone must have given him dinner or a drink which was contaminated. He surely could not have tied himself up. This is evidence that some hanky-panky was involved; someone is behind this which cost the man his life. God knows!
Why all the way to St.Joseph health center ? What’s wrong with Salisbury ? A major community like that dose not have a health center ?
Yes, there is indeed a health clinic in Salisbury.
This has me a little stumped. A lot is happening in our nature aisle recently.
How sad! He was tied up around the abdomen and his hands were tied at his side? The poor man.
From what I read, it appears someone tied him up. He could not have tied his hands at his side.
People must be counseled that, whenever they enter a home and observe someone in distress as in this case, after calling the ambulance and/or nurse they should also immediately telephone the police and hope they also promptly respond.
Police, I hope you took fingerprints and keep them on record. This is crucial to this case.
No ambulance service was immediately available? Why? if the other one was already on a call, it appears two ambulances are needed. This is why the police should have been immediately notified.
My deepest sympathy to his family. Take heart. God is always present with those who grieve.
May his soul rest in peace. Amen!
Fellow Dominicans wherever you reside, whatever your religious affiliation, everyday and/or as you remember, please say this short prayer fervently (one I remember from childhood), “Sacred Heart of Jesus, once in agony have pity on the dying.”
This is an efficacious prayer for anyone in the world who is dying. Many die every second of the day/night. Those who are especially suffering may not think at that time to ask God for pardon and mercy.
This is where we especially Christians come in (a Christian obligation) to assist souls to obtain eternal salvation which I need not elaborate on.
God is merciful. He will bless you (us) for praying it, to assist souls, with the help of God, to be saved. Just think if many pray it, how many prayers and how many souls could be saved.
Prayers are never wasted. As God sees, those who pray for especially others are beneficiaries of their very own prayers. It is not meant that only Dominicans pray it but everyone in the entire world.
I must further state, the Mother of God, the Ever Blessed Virgin Mary said, “Only in Heaven you will know what it is to save souls.”
St. Faustina of the Divine Mercy stated the same in her diary, a book, Divine Mercy In My Soul.
Lord! Please help us to remember to pray this simple prayer as frequently as possible for those who are near death. You know who they are and will be.
Thank you Lord! All praise, honor and glory be to You!