By NOELLE NICOLLS

Tribune Features Editor

nnicolls@tribunemedia.net

A LOCAL funeral home is demanding the Royal Bahamas Police Force produce evidence of a body that was allegedly found disposed of in an open grave at the Southern Cemetery early last month, claiming that “no official identification of the alleged body” has occurred to date.

During a press conference held last week, Randy Curtis, owner of Kurtis Memorial Mortuary said he wanted to inform the public that “Kurtis Memorial does not dump bodies.”

He said Kurtis Memorial was contracted to handle the funeral arrangements of 24-year-old Noel Antonio Roker, who was murdered in a shooting incident on April 2. The body of Mr Roker had been under the care of Kurtis Memorial from the time it was released from the morgue on April 12 on instructions of the family, until June 27, when Mr Curtis said he ordered an “indigent burial.”

“The body never left (the funeral home) in a body bag; it left in an industry approved receptacle,” said Mr Curtis.

In a mysterious twist, family members and police sources claim the body of Noel Roker was found at the Southern Cemetery on April 6, about nine days after it was allegedly buried.

According to police reports, shortly after 4pm on Friday, July 6, police received information that two men were seen disposing of a garbage bag in a grave. Police responded and on arrival saw the fully clad body of a man in an open grave. They launched “an intensive investigation,” according to the police report, but have so far released no new information.

Mr Curtis said he has no knowledge of the alleged incident involving the police, suggesting that another funeral home, who he claimed works with the police, might have information that could shed light on the mystery. He said Kurtis Memorial was not in breach of any statutes or ethical practices and maintains a reputable establishment.

“Why has there been no official identification of the alleged body that was dumped in Spikenard?” Mr Curtis asked. “To this date, I have had no official invitation to view the alleged dumped body, because from our records, Mr Noel Roker was interred in Spikenard on June 27,” he said.

At the press conference, Mr Curtis accused some of Mr Roker’s family members of being “necropredators”, who were more interested in t-shirt sales than funeral arrangements for the deceased.

Mr Curtis said family members were unable to come up with $4,700 to cover the funeral costs, including expenditure on embalming, death notices, programme booklets, as well as the planned interment. He disputed claims that $1,000 had been supplied to Kurtis Memorial as a donation from PLP candidate for Killarney Jerome Gomez, and called on Mr Gomez to produce a receipt for his $1,000 donation. Mr Curtis claimed one of the family members was a “pledged assistant” for the Killarney PLP in the 2012 campaign.

However, he said, there were no benefactors printed in the obituary, which is customary in his 39 years of practice, as “an act of appreciation” from grateful families.

After the funeral had been postponed once, and eventually cancelled, Mr Curtis said he ordered his employees to conduct an “indigent burial,” having received “no money from the family or any benefactor,” despite him having delivered a range of services. Mr Curtis said he waited until 10 o’clock the night before the funeral, as “the family promised” to come in and pay. “No one ever came,” he said.

One of the family members made a request to have the body released; however, the $1,500 fee, Mr Curtis said he charged the family, was not paid.

“No member of the family since this incident was reported has been to see me. These are the names of the survivors,” said Mr Curtis, holding up Mr Roker’s obituary, which lists dozens of survivors.

Not one person from this list came to see me to ask about the body. To this date, I have not seen the body. The authorities will not let me see this body. The reason I am having the press conference at this date is because I was giving the authorities the opportunity to contact me so that I can see the body. I haven’t seen the body,” said Mr Curtis.

Mr Curtis produced a $600 paid receipt at the press conference from Karen Grant, a sub-contractor used to prepare a “double dirt grave” on June 30, claiming that one of those graves was used to bury Mr Roker on June 27. Mr Curtis said he did not know the spot where Mr Roker was buried; however, his employees did. Since the dispute arose, he said he has not sought to visit the grave.

Sources from the sub-contractor claimed a body was buried and sealed on June 27 and June 30 on behalf of Kurtis Memorial. The source said the grave was not at the same site in the cemetery as the spot being investigated, based on media reports.

Concerning the identification of the body, Mr Curtis produced a death certificate for Mr Roker, which stated the cause of death as “gunshot wound to the head and leg.” He said those details contradicted the claim of the family members that the victim was shot four times in the head – “three holes to the left side of his face, and one hole to the right side of the ear,” according to a family member.

The police were not available for comment and did not return messages. Family members claim the police have been out of communication, saying only that they are awaiting the coroner’s court to examine the case.