Blood and scratches on the body of Alynthea Mc Queen have left her family even more confused. However, their quest to determine on their own how she died may never happen, since no autopsy was done on her body because the COVID-19 test came back positive.
Aware of the public health’s policy against autopsies on COVID-19 positive bodies, the family is now searching for a private pathologist.
Mc Queen’s relatives became worried that something was awry when the medical staff at the health facility at Heritage Administration Building in Point Fortin and the San Fernando General Hospital could not account for her whereabouts. Mc Queen, 39, who had health complications including kidney issues was having difficulty breathing last Wednesday and that night her husband Marlon Greene took her to the health facility. Doctors told her husband that she had fluid in her lungs and she would be transferred to the San Fernando hospital. The ambulance arrived at 2.20 am and her husband watched as the ambulance left with his wife.
However, at around 6 am when he got to the hospital he could not find her and no one could account for her whereabouts.
Hours later, at around 3.30 pm, Greene got a call from the health facility in Point Fortin that his wife died and was in the mortuary at the Point Fortin Hospital. The family was told that on the way to the hospital, Mc Queen’s condition worsened and the ambulance took her back to the health facility where she died and her body was sent to the mortuary around 5 am.
Mc Queen’s older sister Cherlyann Julien told Guardian Media hospital officials told them that they did not have Greene’s number. But, she claimed Greene indicated he gave them his number.
The sister said they were told that Mc Queen most likely died from renal failure but a routine COVID-19 test was done, which revealed she was COVID-positive.
Julien said no other family member, including MC Queen’s two children and husband, has tested positive and no one has any flu-like symptoms. Julien said that initially, the hospital was not allowing them to identify McQueen’s body, but eventually, a relative got to see the body.
“In the back of my sister’s head was full of blood on one side, all the ears everything full of blood.
“Scratches and bruises on her forehead. Over her eyes, you seeing like scratches, blood coming out her nose.
“My sister never left home. How did she get so much blood? I don’t care what anybody says, that is a gash. Something happened on the way,” she said.
Julien said so far they have not found a pathologist willing to do the autopsy. They have also sought legal advice but they were advised an autopsy was crucial in determining if they have a case.
Meanwhile, Mc Queen’s body has been released to her family.
The funeral is planned for January 21.
Julien said the family has decided to quarantine for 14 days.
Meanwhile, the South West Regional Health Authority has declined to comment further on this matter. They referred Guardian Media to their initial response which had stated that a full internal investigation has commenced to understand the circumstances of the matter and that they had scheduled a meeting with the next of kin last Friday.
