The late Ossie Hosea Laville.
~ OM: Had pre-existing heart conditions ~
PHILIPSBURG--The family of the late Ossie Hosea Laville said in a statement on Wednesday that they are concerned about (internal) injuries detected in his body and say they may have to verify whether these occurred prior to or during his arrest and detention.
The Prosecutor’s Office OM issued a press release after publication of the family’s statement, indicating that Laville’s body bore no signs of violence and that his death was concluded by the autopsy report to be of “natural” causes, and was most likely due to pre-existing heart conditions.
Laville died suddenly in police custody one day after he was arrested. He was arrested on Thursday, January 26. He had been detained by police and held at the Philipsburg police station from approximately 2:30pm on the day of his arrest. He was dead by Friday, January 27.
In an update provided to The Daily Herald on Wednesday, the family said, “Our family wishes to thank the community of St. Maarten for the outpour[ing – Ed.] of support during this very trying period. On February 16, 2023, the autopsy was performed on Ossie and we now await the final document from the Prosecutor’s Office.
“From what is known to us at this time, we remain concerned about the injuries detected and may have to verify whether these occurred prior to or during his arrest and detention.”
The family said they further remained unwilling to accept any responsibility for the body until they were in receipt of the autopsy report and in a position to determine the next course of action.
When asked about the injuries, Ossie’s sister Caryle Etienne said she could not discuss it until the report was received. She did, however, indicate that the injuries were internal and not visible on the body.
No signs of violence
According to the statement from the Prosecutor’s Office, Laville’s body had no signs of violence, according to the autopsy report. “The details of the report were shared last week with his next of kin by the Prosecutor’s Office,” the statement read.
“The report noted a fracture of the sternum that was most likely the result of resuscitation attempts. This ruling was based on the typical location and appearance of the fracture. The same report also indicated that the cause of death was most likely a severe pre-existing heart disease (left ventricular hypertrophy with high-grade narrowing of two coronary arteries),” stated the Prosecutor’s Office.
“The heart was considered to be “ready to fail at any time,” the OM quoted the report as stating.
“This heart disease often progresses without prior symptoms and is frequently not detected until sudden unexpected death. The report concluded that [the] manner of Laville’s death was “natural”. It is not customary for the details of an autopsy to be made public, but the OM wants to ensure there are no statements to the contrary regarding this unfortunate death. The investigation into Laville’s death is closed,” the OM said in its statement.
