Body Suspected To Be Of Lyana Serieux Found In Cistern Of Abandoned Building Behind Mutual Homes

ST. CROIX — V.I.P.D. Commissioner Delroy Richards has confirmed to The Consortium that at about 2:00 p.m. today, police found a body in the cistern of an abandoned building located behind the Mutual Homes Housing Community, which police were “70 percent” certain was the body of Lyana Serieux, 24, who went missing on Friday.

The commissioner said while the V.I.P.D. would not have a positive identification until the body is looked at by a family member or a pathologist, “preliminary wise, some of the objects that she was last seen with appear to be those that she was found with,” Mr. Richards said.

The commissioner said that investigators, as of 5:00 p.m., had only gotten a high view looking into the cistern. “We know it’s a female, we know the female had bracelets on, we know that she [Ms. Serieux] had bracelets on, but that’s not enough for us to conclude that that’s specifically who it is,” the commissioner said.

St. Croix Rescue personnel get dressed to enter cistern. (VIC)

Vacuum truck leaves crime scene (VIC)

At about 5:00 p.m., St. Croix Rescue members were situated near the Eulalie Rivera Elementary School, waiting on Waste Management workers to empty the cistern using a vacuum truck before they could enter. As of 5:30 p.m., the vacuum truck was still removing water from the cistern, with a St. Croix Rescue employee telling The Consortium that about two more loads were remaining before they could move in. The St. Croix Rescue personnel were outfitted with yellow coveralls. They said a determination on whether the body would need to be placed in a a bag with holes pierced in it for ventilation would be made once in the cistern. That depends on many factors, including the position of the body, as well as its condition.

“We will wait to confirm but based on the preliminary, it is suggested to us that it could possibly be the missing person, because there are items which I will not disclose at this time that were found on the scene, and they remain items of evidentiary value,” the commissioner said. “I would say that we’re about 70 percent certain that that is who we’re looking at.”

The commissioner vowed to bring those responsible for the vicious crime to justice. “We are going to pursue the individual or individuals responsible, and we want them to know that. We are going to leave no stone unturned, and we’re going to be aggressively involved in trying to bring this to a closure.”

Today’s development continues a heart-wrenching incident that has so far left two minor boys confirmed to be the sons of Ms. Serieux, dead — found on the south shore near Ha’Penny Beach. The family went missing on Friday; the V.I.P.D. was notified on Sunday, and a search immediately commenced.

On Monday night at about 7:30 p.m., the vehicle that Ms. Serieux was last seen driving along with her two boys, was found in the Upper Love area completely burned. The sons were found the following day at about 11:35 a.m. by a landscaper.

Search parties began to form on Monday night, and concerned residents were scouring the island up until Thursday afternoon in search of Ms. Serieux.

Faith also took center stage, as the tragedy has also served to unite Virgin Islanders tired of the violence. On Wednesday, St. Croix residents gathered at Fort Christianvaern to pray, and they were joined by over 30,000 more people from around the world, seeking God’s face for relief from the seemingly incessant violence.

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