Man found injured in former boarding house in St. Thomas Dies; Investigation underway

ST. THOMAS – The VI Police Department has launched an investigation into the death of a man found with head injuries at the former Embers Guest House in St. Thomas on Sunday, November 3.

The VIPD reported that a call was received around 911 from citizens who noticed what appeared to be blood outside one of the rooms of the abandoned property. Officers found a black man lying on a bed, visibly bleeding from his head. Although he showed signs of life, the man was transported by ambulance to Schneider Regional Medical Center, where he later succumbed to his injury and was pronounced dead by an emergency room doctor.

The man’s identity is being withheld pending notification of his next of kin, and the exact cause of death will be determined following an autopsy.

The VIPD Major Crimes Unit is leading the investigation. Authorities urge anyone with information about the incident to contact the Virgin Islands Police Department at (340) 774-2211, the Major Crimes Division of the Criminal Investigation Unit at (340) 714-9823 or ( 340) 714-9829, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

The former boarding house was the base of an apparent sex trafficking operation for which 65-year-old Ramona Rivera Luna was charged with prostitution and human trafficking. By 2022, she pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 87 months in prison, along with more than a million dollars in fines.