By Morgan Adderley

Tribune Staff Reporter

madderley@tribunemedia.net

NO drugs were found in the bodies of Alrae Ramsey and Blair John, Italian news media reported yesterday.

According to reports, only traces of alcohol were found in the blood of the two young men whose bodies were tragically found in the Po River in Turin last week.

These are the anticipated results of the outcome of the toxicological analysis, as communicated by the Italian coroner to investigators, according to Italian news outlets.

Further examinations are underway.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday reiterated his confidence in Italian authorities’ ability to investigate this case.

Speaking on the sidelines of the swearing in ceremony of Chief Justice Brian Moree, Dr Minnis told reporters: “They’ve been investigating deaths for umpteen years, before I was on this earth so why should I not have confidence in them today?

“The Italian people have always had confidence in them. This is something they’ve always done. They are a sovereign nation. I must respect their laws and their procedures.”

Earlier it was reported that the results of the autopsies conducted Monday confirmed both men died as a result of drowning.

However, John’s family has told The Tribune they have rejected the autopsy’s findings and are waiting for CCTV evidence that could give better insight into the situation.

“Traces of alcohol were found in the blood of (Ramsey) and (John), the two friends from the Bahamas recovered lifeless in the Po river last week in Turin,” reports Italian news site Ansa Piedmonte. “It is an anticipation of the outcome of the toxicological analysis communicated by a coroner to investigators.

“The tests would have excluded the use of drugs and some drugs by the two young people.

“Further exams are in progress. The autopsy carried out on Monday by the Coroner Paola Rapetti identified the cause of death in the drowning. The investigation into the deaths is conducted by the mobile squad of the police headquarters in Turin, coordinated by the deputy prosecutors Enzo Bucarelli and Giulia Rizzo.”

The tragic story of these two young men has gripped the nation.

Ramsey, a foreign service officer on study leave in Vienna, was reportedly in Turin on a break. He and his friend, John, were staying at a bed and breakfast establishment at Via la Loggia 2 in Turin.

John, a 28-year-old Saint Mary’s University graduate student, was there to attend a psychology conference.

The men both attended the same high school, Saint Augustine’s College, in New Providence.