The baffling death of 22-year-old Lily Ledbetter in the US Virgin Islands remains a mystery, with very little information revealed after an autopsy. Dr. Francisco Landron, the medical examiner, reported that the autopsy yielded no significant findings to explain the cause of her death.
Living on the popular tourist island of St. John in the town of Cruz Bay and working at a local animal shelter, Ledbetter suddenly passed away. Local police in the US Virgin Islands have been under scrutiny in recent years due to their handling of suspicious deaths, raising concerns about the rate of violent crime in the tropical paradise.
On June 6, police received a 911 call about Ledbetter being unresponsive at her home in the Enighed neighborhood at 12:33 p.m. When officers and emergency medical technicians arrived at her home, they found no signs of life and declared her dead at 12:53 p.m. It is unclear if she graduated from the university, and her name did not appear on a list of alumni.
According to the medical examiner, toxicology results are still pending, but foul play is not suspected. The next step, if the toxicology report doesn’t reveal a cause of death, would be microscopic studies on tissues such as the heart.
Ledbetter had been working part-time for about two months at the Animal Care Center of St. John, where a colleague described her as a good person. Her obituary says that she competed with the university’s Women’s Rowing Club, and also sheds light on her accomplishments in high school and the impact she had on those around her.
In order to follow AP News Style guidelines, it is important to note that the cause of death for Lily Ledbetter remains a mystery, adding to growing concerns about law enforcement and crime rates in the US Virgin Islands. It will be important to keep the focus on the facts while refraining from making broad statements about alcohol, drugs, and the handling of similar cases in the region.