Death of US security officers on board the Maersk Alabama |25 February 2014

Security officers died of respiratory failure

The police have reported that autopsy reports on the cause of death of Jeffrey Reynolds and Mark Kennedy, two US security officers found dead on the Maersk Alabama last week, have concluded that they died of respiratory failure, with suspicion of myocardial infarction (heart attack).

Samples of urine, blood, stomach contents etc. from the two men are being sent to Mauritius for forensic analysis to establish if they had consumed a substance which may have induced these events.

The police’s preliminary investigation report includes suspicion of drug use as indicated by the presence of a syringe and traces of heroin which were found in the cabin.

Arrangements are underway for the bodies of Jeffrey Reynolds and Mark Kennedy to be repatriated to the United States of America.