Police Commissioner On Serieux Triple Homicide: ‘We Are Very Confident That We Have The Ability To Bring The Case To Closure’

ST. CROIX — Homicide cases are difficult to solve, Police Commissioner Delroy Richards told The Consortium on Sunday. But the commissioner expressed certainty in the V.I.P.D.’s ability to bring the Serieux triple homicide case to closure.

The incident, which occurred two weeks ago, shocked the territory, after it was discovered that a mother, Lyana Serieux, 24, and her two minor sons, Jordan and Jeremiah Serieux, 10 and 5 respectively, were murdered. The boys’ bodies were found on the south shore near Ha’Penny Beach, while the mother was found in the cistern of an abandoned building behind the Mutual Homes Housing Community.

Mr. Richards said he is aware of the community’s desire to see those responsible for the crime brought to justice, “But we also have to take into consideration that we’ve been getting a lot of information, some of which we’re treating as valuable, and some of them we have decided that it just didn’t fall into information that we were using.”

The commissioner also stressed the importance of getting the case right. “We have to be very careful because we don’t want to, out of emotion, run and pick up folks. We’ve picked up quite a number of people and we’ve questioned them, but it doesn’t mean because we question them that that’s the end. It simply means that the person name or names came to our attention whether by information received from the public, and we have questioned them and released them.

“We don’t want to haphazardly run in and arrest somebody and then try to build a case. We want to make sure that we do what needs to be done and that the right individual or individuals are brought forth” the commissioner said.

Asked whether the V.I.P.D. was any closer to solving the case, Mr. Richards, who was off island over the weekend, said he would provide more information today once he receives an update. However, he stressed, “We have not lessened the pace. Just like most of the other homicides, we know how important it is and have accelerated even more.” The commissioner emphasized that Sunday night’s homicides on St. Croix would not affect progress on the Serieux case. “We have additional resources that we have recently assigned to our bureau, and these folks will investigate the newer homicides, while our more senior and seasoned officers continue to focus on the triple homicide that we had several weeks ago,” Mr. Richards said.

The police department has been receiving an abundance of leads from the community, according to the commissioner. He expressed gratitude for the information, but said the details provided have been varied, which makes the work of investigators even more tedious.

“Folks have been telling us all kinds of stuff. They’ve been coming up with their own scenarios and you got about ten different scenarios. But we listen to all of them and treat them with the same level of urgency, and if have to rule them out, then we rule them out,” he said. The commissioner said the force would continue to be deliberate yet careful with the case.

“We are not simply going to just take pieces of information and based on the information we have, just simply go out to pick somebody up and charge them, when there is really no other evidence to corroborate the stories that folks have been providing us with,” he said.

Asked whether the case was a difficult one to solve, Mr. Richards said, “Any homicide is difficult especially when you don’t have the suspect on the scene. It’s somewhat difficult to try to put together.”

Even so, the commissioner expressed confidence in the force’s ability to solve the Serieux case. “We’ve had difficult cases and we’ve brought them to closure. We’re no different from any other police department,” he said. The commissioner said some V.I.P.D. investigators have received training from the best institutions on the U.S. mainland, including the Chicago Police Department, which Mr. Richards highlighted as having some of the best homicide investigators. And he mentioned the V.I.P.D.’s relationship with the New York Police Department, where V.I.P.D. officers also receive training.

Police Commissioner Delroy Richards

“We are very confident that we have the ability to bring the case to closure; I could say that much. We are confident,” he said. The V.I.P.D. is also receiving technical assistance from its federal partners. “It isn’t just simply V.I.P.D.,” he concluded.

What is now one the most vicious  crimes committed in modern Virgin Islands history, started on Friday, July 29, the last day Ms. Serieux along with her two sons were seen. Ms. Serieux’s family members had conducted their own search, but turned to police on Sunday, July 30 after futile attempts. By the night of Monday, July 31 at about 7:30 p.m., police discovered a 2011 Silver Toyota Yaris with license plate number CFR 304 — confirmed to be that of Ms. Serieux — burnt in Upper Love.

The following day (Tuesday, August 1) at about 11:35 a.m., moments after a V.I.P.D. press briefing seeking the community’s assistance, the bodies of Ms. Serieux’s two minor sons were discovered on the south shore near Ha’Penny Beach. The tragic nature of the discovery rocked the territory, with many expressing disbelief that such cruelty had occurred here.

The search continued for Ms. Serieux on Wednesday, August 2. During the evening of the same Wednesday, some residents gathered at Fort Christianvaern for prayer, and were joined by tens of thousands more from around the world. “I stand with you in prayer from Jerusalem,” said Hannah Jasmine McCoy. “Prayers from the Santos family from East Tennessee,” said Mario N. Wendy Santos. “Praying and standing in agreement in Indianapolis,” said Claire James.

On Thursday, August 3, Ms. Serieux’s body was discovered in a cistern of an abandoned building behind the Mutual Homes Housing Community.

Mr. Richards vowed to bring those responsible 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,” he said at a press conference following the discovery of the boys’ bodies.