Health
Justice Ministry Comments On Dead Man Autopsy
- Details
- Published on Thursday, 27 September 2012 10:25
- Written by Necus M. Andrews
The Ministry of Justice says it has conducted an autopsy on the corpse of Ballah Scott, a former employee of the John F. Kennedy Hospital, who was found dead in the hospital’s compound days after he reportedly went missing.
Mr. Scott mysteriously went missing while on his sick bed on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 after he was admitted on Monday, July 23, 2012.
Early this week, the JFK, through its media department, told The NEWS that the issue of autopsy was left with the Government of Liberia, through the Justice Ministry.
However, speaking to The NEWS Wednesday in Monrovia, the Director of Press and Public Affairs at the Justice Ministry, Madam Maude M. Somah, said an autopsy on the corpse of the late Scott has since been conducted by the Justice Ministry.
But Madam Somah declined to comment on the exact date the autopsy was performed. However, she said following the autopsy, family members of the deceased recommended to the Justice Ministry that DNA test be performed to determine the cause of death.
According to her, the ministry accepted the family’s request and took specimen of the deceased that would be taken to Ghana to perform the DNA test.
Madam Somah informed The NEWS that a team of medical practitioners from Liberia, along with a family member of the deceased are expected to travel to Ghana shortly for the DNA test, but declined to state when.
“The family is saying they want DNA test…that’s what we are doing to facilitate the process. The first aspect is that when the body was discovered, the Justice Ministry did an autopsy to establish whether there was a foul play…and the autopsy was done in the presence of the family,” Madam Somah, Director of Press and Public Affairs said.
She said based on the request of the family for DNA test to be performed, the ministry accepted their request and promised that the DNA would be performed in Ghana.
The Justice Ministry Press and Public Affairs Director said following the pending DNA test, the entire autopsy report would be released to the public.
The Justice Ministry’s comment comes in the wake of recent pressure from the late Scott’s family that authorities at the JFK were doing nothing to determine cause of death.
The ministry’s revelation now indicates that an autopsy has been conducted on the remains of the deceased. The public awaits the DNA test to state the cause of death.
The late Ballah Scott was found dead on the compound of the hospital on August 14, 2012 after he mysteriously went missing while on his sick bed on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 after he was admitted on Monday, July 23, 2012.
According to doctors at the JFK, the late Scott was admitted at the emergency ward after falling sick with stomachache. After his mysterious disappearance, Scott was not seen until his decomposed body was found on the premises of the hospital.
Circumstances surrounding Scott’s disappearance from the hospital and subsequent discovery of his dead body sparked serious standoff between his family and management of the hospital.
Only the autopsy and the pending DNA reports would determine the cause of death. (Investigation continues)
