The V.I. Department of Justice has opened a modular morgue in Orange Grove, restoring dedicated space for autopsies and forensic examinations on St. Croix after families and investigators had to rely on transportation to St. Thomas.
Government House says the 2,400-square-foot facility includes an autopsy suite with two examination bays, refrigerated storage, a viewing room and offices for medical examiners and death investigators.
The administration expects local services to reduce transportation costs and delays while improving medical-examiner operations. The announcement confirms the facility's opening after more than four years of need; it does not publish staffing levels, operating hours or a current case backlog.
The project also relocates an essential service from the Juan F. Luis Hospital campus before the existing hospital is demolished and rebuilt. Preconstruction for that larger hospital project remains underway.
The Justice Department should publish the facility's staffing, service hours, case-transfer protocol and performance measures for reducing delays and off-island transportation.
Source published October 19, 2026; official release does not display a publication time. Read the original reporting or release for the complete record.
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