U.S. tourist found dead in St. Maarten(no foul play-case closed)

[martini]

U.S. tourist found dead in St. Maarten

CAY BAY—Investigations are ongoing in the discovery of the body of a 28-year-old white male, sometime after 8:00pm last Wednesday evening. The body was found lying face down at the end of Windsor Road in Cay Bay.

The victim has been identified by his family as Vincent Mark Cullen, a dentistry student and U.S. national.

Police Central Dispatch said they received the call around 8:00pm and according to a press statement, they immediately mobilized personnel of the Detective and Forensic Departments to the scene. Preliminary investigation of the body revealed a wound above his left eye from which it is believed he may have bled.

Medical Advisor to the Police, Dr. Mercuur, who was on the scene, officially pronounced the death of the victim. He however could not immediately determine the exact cause of death.

The victim’s family –who has been coming to the island for some 30-years, told  Today that Vincent left the apartment around 5:45pm on Wednesday afternoon.
The 911 call was made around 8:00pm, which leaves some 2 hours 30 minutes unaccounted for.

Since he did not have a car, he must have been taken to that location; whether it was voluntary or involuntary of course remains unclear.

The answer to this question could leave one to wonder whether he was even killed in that location or simply dumped there afterwards.

Robbery is believed to be the motive behind the murder since no ID or wallet was found on the body.

He was said to have had around $500 in cash, along with credit cards and other documents in his wallet.

On orders of the Public Prosecutor Develing, the body of the victim has been confiscated for further investigation. It is now at a morgue.

The medical card and a bunch of keys were found on his body, and investigations lead police to a hotel apartment in the Cupecoy area, where he was staying with his parents.

The father of the victim recognized the items found on the victim by the detectives, as those belonging to his son.

The family had arrived on the island on July 26 for vacation.

The father of the victim also confirmed that his son had left home earlier that day, to visit a local casino.

A medical investigation will be carried out to determine the cause of death and the detectives are still busy questioning potential witnesses.

A reward is being considered for information leading to the arrest of a suspect, details of which will be released shortly.

Individuals with information, however insignificant it may seem, are being asked to make contact with the police on 542-2222, particularly Detective Elisabeth Anthony, who was identified as the lead detective on the case.

http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/13131

[martini]

written by Brandon
written by Brandon , August 03, 2008

My condolences go out to Vinnie's family and his loved one's Vinnie was an all around awesome guy. Vinnie was a really close friend, and very talented drummer. Vinnie and I used to chill n play music together go to the Atlantic City casinos over 50 times in the last 3-4 yrs. He taught me how to count cards in Black Jack it was his own method very cool. Im gonna miss all those fun times we had. And the memories we had together, truly awesome dude.........

We will all miss you

R.I.P. Vin Dog Forever you will be in my heart.love ya man {tears in my eyes}
vinnie was an all around awesome guy man why did this have to happen he was a very talented person we used to chill play music and go out n party play texas holdem wit a couple of friends and he loved goin to to the Atlantic City casinos weve probly went like 50 times over the last 3 years he was very talented at Black jack he taught me a method on how to count cards so cool.

My condolences go out to his family and friends

Vinnie - Vin- VIn- Vin man -- Vin Dog RIP man i am so gonna miss ya.

Brandon Martin

[2NJSons_Mom]

Wonder where that casino is in relation to where he was foond....counting cards can be a motive, just as robbery, imo.  Pretty sad...another island murder.

[Red]

Caribbean: 28 Year Old Vincent Mark Cullen of US Found Dead at in Cay Bay, St Maarten

http://scaredmonkeys.com/2008/08/02/caribbean-28-year-old-vincent-mark-cullen-of-us-found-dead-at-in-cay-bay-st-maarten/

The Chief Prosecutor, Taco Stein, said “that so far there is no trace of a crime committed but that has not been ruled out since the exact cause of death is not yet known”. Here we go again. An autopsy has yet to be completed to determine the cause of death.

However, it appears that family members are outraged and believe that Vincent did meet with foul play. The family is questioning the fact that they believe that Vincent Mark Cullen had $500 on him and the fact that his body was found in Cay Bay, an area with which neither Vincent nor the family was familiar

[martini]

Cullen family still wants answers on son’s death 
PHILIPSBURG--The Cullen family is not ready to lay their son’s mysterious death to rest just yet.

  Contrary to reports from the Prosecutor’s Office Sunday that the Cullens had decided to drop their hinting that 28-year-old Vincent Mark Cullen’s death was murder, the American family insists that “at this time, nothing could be further from the truth.”

  They want a “definitive cause of death” before they rule out crime as the possible cause.

  An e-mail to The Daily Herald Monday stressed the Cullen family’s desire to find out what had caused Vincent’s currently unexplained death.

  “As far as we are concerned, this is still an open case until a definitive cause of death is established,” Vincent’s sister Jackie Marie Cullen wrote on behalf of the family. “We returned to the U.S. solely for the purpose of providing a proper burial for our son; otherwise we would have stayed in St. Maarten until the investigation was completed and the blood tests were returned.”

  She said Prosecutor Develing had assured her family that authorities were set to question two “possible witnesses” and that the final conclusions of an August 1 blood workup in Curaçao would take 10 days.

  An aspiring dentist, Vincent was found facedown in his own blood at the head of Windsor Road near Cay Bay about two hours after his family had last seen him. Authorities found no apparent injuries on the young man’s corpse and the only external wound was a superficial cut over his left eye. A sample of his blood has been sent to Curaçao for “extensive” analysis to determine its content at the time of his death.

  Jackie Cullen stressed that the family would not rest without a proper answer to their inquiries about Vincent’s death. “Surrounding the death of our son were other crimes that we hope that the police will continue to investigate. He was certainly robbed of his wallet which contained at least US $500, but it has never been established if the robbery occurred before, during or after his death.”

  “We have never given the impression to the police, the prosecutors, or any newspaper reporter from your paper that we felt this case was closed or did not involve foul play,” Cullen continued in her statement on behalf of the family, requesting a correction to the published article.

  The Cullens want an answer to Vincent’s death and are willing to go to lengths to find it if authorities cannot determine the cause. “If this case continues to be unresolved as to cause of death, the family will be returning to St. Maarten and will offer a significant reward for information leading to apprehension of the suspects,” the e-mail said.

  This newspaper has tried to reach the family repeatedly since Friday through an on-island landline phone number.

  Windward Islands Chief Prosecutor Taco Stein assured this newspaper that his statements Sunday had reflected the family’s feelings at the time. Authorities here have released the deceased’s body and have no intentions of doing an autopsy, though the blood test results will be reviewed by the prosecutors.

  “We’re not doing anything anymore on this case,” Stein told this newspaper. “We are waiting to see the results.”
 

http://www.thedailyherald.com/tdhonline/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=393:cullen-family-still-wants-answers-on-sons-death&catid=56:today
 
 
Lies from yesterday 
http://www.amigoe.com/artman/publish/artikel_45318.php
 

[texasmom]

Yes I believe, "Here we go again" is correct.  Fortunately for the family, his body was recovered so the authorities cannot claim that "he ran away". 

[2NJSons_Mom]

I don't know where the Cullen family was staying, but if they were not familiar with Cay Bay after all the years visiting there...makes me go mmmmmmm..  Here's a map, Cay Bay is southwest of Phillipsburg. 

[2NJSons_Mom]

Some comments found here, including a few mentioning the Natalee Holloway case:

http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/13131

[martini]

The island is split half Dutch and half French. There are no english newspapers on the French side...
 
This article is from http://www.sxmfaxinfo.com/ which does not archive...

sint-maarten : le jeune homme décédé n’a pas été violenté
Les analyses aux rayons X réalisées sur le corps du jeune homme de 28 ans retrouvé mort mercredi dernier en partie hollandaise n’ont révélé aucune trace de violence. 
Aucun os cassé, aucune trace de combat n’ont été détectés aux rayons X. La seule blessure visible sur le corps du jeune homme est une ouverture au dessus de l’oeil probablement due à la chute. “Il est fortement improbable que l’homme ait été tué par une tierce personne.”, a indiqué le Procureur. Les autorités locales ne procéderont pas à une autopsie sur le corps, la famille pourra en demander une si elle le souhaite après son retour aux Etats-Unis. Les résultats des analyses de sang seront connues dans une dizaine de jours. Le jeune touriste avait été retrouvée mort mercredi soir dans une rue de Cay Hill ; il était en vacances sur l’île avec ses parents et sa soeur et était sorti seul
 
translation with babelfish
 
sint-maarten: the young man deceased was not forced The analyses with x-rays realized on the body of the 28 year old young man found dead last Wednesday partly Dutch did not reveal any trace of violence. No broken bone, no trace of combat was detected with x-rays. the only visible wound on the body of the young man is an opening to the top of the eye probably due to the fall. “It is strongly improbable that the man was killed by a third person. ”, the Prosecutor indicated. The local authorities will not proceed to an autopsy on the body, the family will be able to require of it if she wishes it after her return to the United States. The results of the blood tests will be known in ten days. The young tourist had been found died Wednesday evening in a street of Cay Hill; he was on holiday on the island with his parents and his sister and had left only 

[martini]

I don't know where the Cullen family was staying, but if they were not familiar with Cay Bay after all the years visiting there...makes me go mmmmmmm.. 

Written by the SXM Today newspaper

With all the facts out in the open, it turns out that the death of American tourist Vincent Mark Cullen was due to ‘medical reasons.’
The 28-year old was found dead on Windsor Road last week. The location is suspicious, because Windsor Road is not exactly a tourist destination, but a place where drugs, weapons, and stolen goods routinely change hands.

How Vincent Cullen ended up in such a bad environment, and what he intended to do there, is anybody’s guess. The young man has passed away and we will never know the answer to this question.

Cullen had a superficial head wound that may have been caused by a fall on the rocky ground. Cullen’s family is fully satisfied with the explanation it got from the public prosecutor’s office. They are now, with the investigators, convinced that there was no foul play.

The American was not robbed either; that is to say, investigators found no sign of a struggle. It is however true that Cullen’s wallet is missing. It is possible that somebody stole the wallet and its contents after the victim’s death.

That is of course not a very decent thing to do, but it is a far cry from murder, manslaughter, or even robbery.

The cause of death is given as ‘medical reasons’, a rather non-specific statement from the prosecutor’s office. A spokesman declined to comment on the type of medication Cullen carried with him and attempts to get this information from the family returned no immediate results yesterday afternoon.

http://www.sxmpages.com/content/view/1151/1/

more lies~ 

[martini]

VINCENT MARK, 28, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly while on vacation in St. Maarten with his family. He was a graduate of Ancillae-Assumpta Academy, La Salle College High School and La Salle University, where he majored in psychology. Vinnie's great love was music and he was an accomplished drummer who was featured in the local band, "Dark Day Dawning." Currently working at UPS in Willow Grove, he was awaiting his start in the Dental Hygiene program at the Community College of Philadelphia. Beloved and treasured son of Dr. Vincent P. and Marie D. (nee Usilton) Cullen of Huntingdon Valley; loving brother of Jackie Cullen, Dr. Marie Cullen-Burdey and brother-in-law of Brian C. Burdey. Also survived by many aunts, uncles and cousins.


http://www.legacy.com/philly/DeathNotices.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=114981248

[martini]

Dark Day Dawning biography

Tony - Guitar
Justin - Guitar
Matt - Vocals
Vinnie - Drums
Jim - Bass

Dark Day Dawning truly defies categorization. Their music embodies that of melodic, emotionally driven genres, with heavy influence from HardCore and metal. This young five piece outfit hails from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where they have made a significant name for themselves by wreaking havoc with their reputedly intense and kinetic live performances.

Selling hundreds of tapes, CD’s, and records over the last several years (with absolutely no distribution aside from direct mail order) these gentlemen are incredibly driven and hard-working. Despite their jobs as corporate accountants, music teachers, and network administrators, Dark Day Dawning has been, and always will be, the number one passion and priority in these men’s lives.

 
http://www.sweetslyrics.com/bio-Dark%20Day%20Dawning.html

[martini]

Wonder where that casino is in relation to where he was foond....counting cards can be a motive, just as robbery, imo.  Pretty sad...another island murder.

My thought when a read a comment from a friend of Vinnie's that they had been to Atlantic City 50 times in a couple of years and Vinnie taught him a method of counting cards~ a red light went off in the head. If he was even in the casino that early evening and played his card counting method, did he win?

Sadly the victims in SXM are painted as gamblers and drinkers/druggers. Leta Lynn Cordes was made to look like that and Vinnie as well...

[martini]

I am well aware of the fact that this is a sensitive time for the family and friends of VMC.
I am a little beside myself that so many have put there feelings out on a public forum...
This one brought me to tears~
Written by Kathy a UPS employee~
kdupser | Wed, 2008-08-06 18:31

Vinny was my helper and a great kid. He was a one of a kind guy. I have had to deal with a lot of his peers over the years, none of them seemed to possess the work ethic needed to succeed in life. Vinny and I would talk all kinds of stuff, from Politics, taxes, women( he loved my route and always had that infectious grin when he got to deliver to the hotties). One day he came to meet me sick as a dog,
he just said he'd deal with barfing out the door, no way I said I can do it myself. He called me like 20 times to see if I was okay. When his Grand mom died he was so sad, I told if he stayed to help me he had to tell me stories about her, I think it helped him deal. I guess I treated Vinny like a Mom because I am older, but I think he loved the way I'd talk about all my crazy delivery stories. I loved this kid so much. He would leave me notes in my truck and in my mail box.
When he told me of the hard time his boss was giving him about his vacation I told him to call Steve. Steve feels horrible so do I. Do I wish Vinny did not go on Vacation, sure, but he deserved it when asked. If you are really his boss we had a great time with so many descriptive words to describe you. If you r curious come find me in Jenkintown center, I'll be more than happy to let u know how Vinny really felt about you. You know all my years at UPS I always wondered why when one becomes a Sup that you think it is cool to harass an employee, must make ya think you are above it all. Let me tell you ...your a ***** figure it out genius. His family wont have their last memory at UPS with you, they will know how others at UPS treat another human with love and respect. I wish you'd signed your name I would love to straighten your ugly ass out...http://sxmprivateeye.com/node/13133#comment-19955

[mojo]

the latest according to the private eye site is that the family accepts the natural causes aspect of this.

 Vincent Cullen
Anonymous (not verified) | Wed, 2008-08-06 10:56

I am Vincent Cullen's Sister, Marie. I would like to thank everyone for their support.

Recently, we have received information regarding Vincent's death and it was found to be due to a natural medical reason. His family and the prosecutor's office both concur at this time that the death was due to a natural medical reason and did not involve foul play.

I am sure that you understand that it would be inappropriate to discuss his medical history on the internet. He deserves his privacy and peace. The entire family thanks you at this tragic time.

Maire Cullen, Vince's Sister

[martini]

Vincent Cullen’s family at odds over cause of his death...

full article...  http://www.thedailyherald.com/tdhonline/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=408:vincent-cullens-family-at-odds-over-cause-of-his-death&catid=56:today

[martini]

Odd she spelled her name wrong~ 

Maire can refer to:. A village in the Netherlands 

[2NJSons_Mom]

I found a site with a map that shows Cupecoy Beach....it appears to be quite a way from where he was found. 

http://www.cupecoy.com/index.htm

[martini]

Concern Raised Over Sudden Deaths---- Investigation Launched

MARIGOT— Authorities on the French side of the island are concerned over the sudden deaths of at least four young men in St. Martin from July 22. The gendarmes are now working to see if there is any link between of the deaths.
 Local prosecutor Louvier confirmed on Thursday that the death of a young man on a Corsair flight last Sunday bound to Paris had died by bolitas that burst in the man’s stomach. The deceased man lived on St. Martin for several years.
 Also two young men from Concordia died on July 22 and 23 however, there were no indications of medical complications or any other factor that would lead to sudden death, Doctors pronounced that both of the men died of natural causes.
On August 1 a young man died in Oyster Pond while he was working. The autopsy report indicated the man had cardiac abnormalities which probably contributed to his death; there was no evidence of drug overdose.
    The French Authorities also is questioning the sudden death of an American Tourist in Cay Bay which is now under investigation by Dutch law enforcement.

http://www.smn-news.com/

[martini]

Quant au touriste américain décédé à Cay hill, enquête diligentée par les autorités hollandaises, les enquêteurs ont demandé de pouvoir accéder au dossier médico-légal de la victime pour en savoir plus.

As the American tourist died in Cay hill, investigated by the Dutch authorities, investigators have asked to have access to the file of Forensic Medicine of the victim for more information.

http://www.sxmfaxinfo.com/