The Tribune

By LETRE SWEETING

Tribune Staff Reporter

lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE families of two Bahamian men who died in Italy three years ago under mysterious circumstances have applied to an Italian judge to obtain the investigation file into their deaths, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell.

Foreign Service Officer Alrae Ramsey, 29, and Saint Mary’s University graduate student Dr Blair John, 28, disappeared in Italy on May 29, 2019. Their bodies were later pulled from the River Po in Turin on June 4th and 5th, 2019.

Although autopsies reportedly revealed that the men drowned, Mr Mitchell said the explanation of the circumstances surrounding their demise remains a sore wound for their unsatisfied relatives and others who knew them.

 He said after he visited Italy in 2021, lawyers representing the government applied to get the file the Italian government had on the deaths.

 He said the judge refused to release the file, deciding that the Bahamian government had no standing. He said the judge indicated that a request from relatives of the men would be reviewed.

 “We had been in touch with the families in Nassau,” he said yesterday. “They signed quickly to give us the authority to act on their behalf. The lawyers in Italy have made the application. We’re awaiting the results of that application.

 “I don’t know how long it will take. The Italian government themselves said the court process, they move quite slowly, so it might be some time. But the fact is we are still on it and the families are grateful for the fact that we’re still pursuing this.” 

 He continued: “It is a real sore point because they and we are not satisfied with the answers which have been given. The answers seem to be inexplicable and so we’re trying to pursue it to see if we can get some answers.

 “Our view is that perhaps if our own authorities and officials here are able to look at the complete file, they may be able to spot something which would indicate what actually happened to the satisfaction of the families.”

 “The other aspect of it is the fact that we spoke to the Italian government to indicate to them that this is of the highest priority for us and that they should indicate to the court the diplomatic issues which The Bahamas has in this matter.”

 Mr Mitchell said findings in the case could trigger a local Coroner’s Court inquest.

“If something of this nature happened within The Bahamas, we could’ve had a Coroner’s inquest where all of the facts would be examined and a jury asked to make a determination on what happened,” he said.

 “So the question is whether or not something like this, a Coroner’s inquest, can be done. There may be some indications that we may have to amend the law to do that, because of course the deaths took place outside the jurisdiction. So that’s a matter on which I stand to be advised. But even if you don’t go to the level of a Coroner’s inquest, it may be that the public officials here, that is the police who are in charge of investigations, having a second or third look at this might be able to spot something (and) go over the evidence with the families and the families may be satisfied as a result of that process.”