The Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (CDPF) has launched an investigation into the discovery of a body found under the Canefield cliff today, October 16, 2022.
Dominica News Online (DNO) has been reliably informed by police sources that the individual has been identified as a elderly man who was a resident of the Premium Home Care and Residential Services (PHARCS), a senior care home in Dominica.
Sources also revealed that the individual was reported as missing to the police yesterday, October 15, 2022.
The elderly man was later found this morning in an unresponsive state along the E.O.Leblanc Highway.
DNO has since made contact with the officials of the facility and in a statement sent to our newsroom, the CEO OF PHARCS, Marie-Therese Junkerre, said the company was devastated by the incident.
“We are heartbroken and devastated by the passing of one of our residents this morning – Sunday 16th October 2022. This is a terrible tragic incident and our deepest sympathies go out to the resident’s family and friends,” Junkerre stated.
According to Junkerre, due to an ongoing police investigation and without the consent of the family, the facility is prohibited from releasing the name of the resident, “but we can confirm that he was a resident at PHARCS,” she stated.
“Our number one priority at this time is safety. It is critical that we determine how this incident occurred so we can take steps to prevent something like this from ever happening again,” the CEO further averred. “At this time, we have no further details but we are working closely with the police as they conduct their investigation.”
Junkerre assured that the company “will not rest” until the investigation is concluded and preventative measures can be put in place, if needed.
The police say the investigation into the matter is ongoing.
DNO will continue to follow this story and provide an update as soon as it becomes available.
According to Pharcs themselves, they are supposed to be so professional, didn’t expect that to happen there. Sometime ago they were on the media criticizing the hospital about a patient whom they said got bedsores there, now inmates disappearing under their noses. Sorry for the family and not Pharcs. It goes to show them anything can happen anyway.
How did he get out?
No security?
Did he fall from the cliff?
These persons should have tags on them.
Very sad indeed. Ckndolences to the families.
May he RIP
So where is the security in this place.. how did the man just leave the premises
This is terrifying on so many different levels! There is never a good excuse for a Residential Care Facility to lose one of its patients in such a situation. It seems that those preventative measures that the CEO wish to put in place at the conclusion of the police investigation should have been put in place before hand. My sympathies to the bereaved family.
This is very sad and clearly shows more work need to be done to ensure that the safety, security and wellbeing of residents of such care facilities needs to be beefed up not after an incident.
If this elderly man could get out without being noticed, just guess who can get in with being noticed.
Sincerest condolences to the family of the deceased. This has to be extraordinarily devastating.
My question is this: How did this very elderly inmate leave this ‘caring’ institution of care undetected? This clearly shows a huge lax in security. Even before the revelations of the full investigation, no explanation will console the family and relatives of the dearly departed. This is grossly unacceptable.
I hope the relatives of the victim sue the relevant institution for gross negligence to send an unequivocal message to other institutions that offer similar services.
The promise of further information from the police about this incident will go unulfilled as usual.