One resident in particular is Veronique Martin, whose story was first heard on ZNS last week after reporting the morbid finding to Environmental Health.
“Three Sundays ago my dog Trixie brought home a human hand with what appeared to be a white glove,” Martin explained.
She said the person that saw her dog with the hand was not able to catch her and retrieve it before she was able to bury it.
After being informed of the incident, Mrs. Martin said that she and her family went searching for fresh mounds of earth about the property, but found none. It was then she tied her dog down until Monday past, which was Easter Monday.
“After Trixie was released she dug up the hand and brought it out, that’s when my husband was able to secure it in a plastic bag in hopes that the relevant authorities from Environ-mental Health could retrieve it,” she said.
Stressing that her main concern is any heath risk that may be related with the incident, Mrs. Martin explained that Environmental Health was notified of the situation on Monday and Tuesday of that week.
On Wednesday, April 19, 2006 Environmental Health representatives called the Martins while ZNS and Local Govern-ment official Marjorie Darville were at the house and stated that they did their investigations and a report was forwarded to the capital.
Mrs. Martin found this hard to believe.
“It was claimed by the agency that they did their investigations,” she said. “We must have missed their presence at our home or in the area. On Wednesday around 9:30 a.m. I personally called Tam� Dean at ZNS to report the situation and asked her to come out to Martin Town.”
By that time Mrs. Martin explained they were disgusted with foul decaying body parts in and around their property.
Some eight months since hurricane Wilma, Mrs. Martin says that there are open tombs still, with bones and clothing visible.
“There is a stray dog problem and if my dog could bring home one part that we know of what about all the other dogs in the community? How can we be sure some contagious disease or diseases aren’t being spread by the flies that are attracted to the exposed rotting flesh or the like in those open graves? How can we be sure that the awful odour we smell at times isn’t a newly exposed dead body or a body part that the dogs have carted about?” asked Martin.
Adding that many people don’t understand how the spread of disease works, Mrs. Martin explained that it can be carried by insects, rodents and other animals as well as from human to human contact.
Pointing out at Eight Mile Rock is a very large community with lots of transient persons she said it will only take one infected person to move back to New Providence, Abaco, Exuma or anywhere in the world to cause an epidemic.
Noting that there are those who tend to politicize such situations, Mrs. Martin asked that they do not.
“Disease does not stop and ask who you vote for before it strikes,” she said.
Hurricane season is almost here again and Mrs. Martin worries that if the relevant authorities do not get those graves sealed off soon they are going to have an even bigger problem when the next storm comes.
“The general consensus is that the grave site be sealed and memorialized with grass and a memory wall, where family members can come and visit if need be,” she said.
Suggesting that stone benches be put there and grass be planted, she said that there is already a budget in place for the up- keep of the site so maintenance should not be a problem.
By ANGELO ARMBRISTER, Freeport News Reporter
