RSSCaribbean: 28 Year Old Vincent Mark Cullen of US Found Dead at in Cay Bay, St Maarten
A death of an American on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten … here we go again.
Family members said they would not leave the island until the persons responsible for Vincent’s death had been arrested and convicted.
A 28 year old man from the United States, Vincent Mark Cullen, was found dead in St. Maarten at the end of Windsor Road Cape Bay by police about 7pm on Wednesday evening. Preliminary results have revealed that Vincent Mark Cullen had a wound above his left eye from which he bled.
A preliminary investigation, done by the Forensic team of the Philipsburg police station revealed that the victim had a wound above his left eye from which he bled. Dr. MERCUUR who came to the scene pronounced the death of the victim, but could not determine the exact cause of death.
In an attempt to identify the victim police searched the pockets of the victim and found a container with some sort of medication with his name on, also found were some other personal items including a set of keys. The items found led detectives to a hotel apartment in Cupe Coy where the victim and his parents were staying as they are on the island vacationing.
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
Vincent’s infuriated sister Jackie Cullen and their father, who spoke to The Daily Herald yesterday, explained that the family had spent a fun-filled Wednesday afternoon at Mullet Bay Beach, before returning by car to their hotel room with the intention to prepare for a movie outing.
Judging the amount of time it would take to get ready and the time the movie they wanted to see would be starting, the family cancelled the outing. However, Vincent showered, got dressed and indicated to his family that he would be out for the evening, leaving the hotel room at 5:45pm. By 8:00pm he had been found dead in Cay Bay.
Jackie expressed her bewilderment, unable to understand how her “strong and healthy” brother could have passed away suddenly within less than two hours, at a time of day when it was not yet too dark. As his wallet was not found on his body, the family believes that Vincent, who within this time frame is believed to have made a stop at a nearby casino before possibly trekking on to another casino, was lured by someone into going to Cay Bay, where he was robbed.
Doesn’t the following sound familiar? I remember hearing the same comments in the Natalee Holloway case in Aruba, a reward offered and the promise of not going home until there was justice. If this investigation is anything like the Holloway case in Aruba, I hope they plan on staying a while
Vincent’s older sister who resides in the US and other family members are scheduled to arrive on the island shortly and the family will be announcing a substantial reward next week for any information on Vincent’s death.
Family members said they would not leave the island until the persons responsible for Vincent’s death had been arrested and convicted.
The family emphasises that anyone having any sort of information should contact the police, specifically Detective Elisabeth Anthony F., at 542-2222.
To further discuss the case, go to Scared Monkeys.net: Unsolved Crime.
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43 Responses to “Caribbean: 28 Year Old Vincent Mark Cullen of US Found Dead at in Cay Bay, St Maarten”
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I don’t see this getting solved either. I love the islands, but there is a real wild west feeling down there at SXM is no exception. Walk about 2 blocks off of a main street and you will see real poverty. Makes you wonder where all the tourist dollars are going huh?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRK-CQVQevQ
I wish this family the total opposite of what Natalee and her family have been facing from authorities in Aruba for 3 years. Cleary so far, justice has never seemed an option.
There is no trace of a crime..yeah, yeah that sounds familar..
The only good thing I can say, and it’s not even good is at least they have his body.
Yep, it does sound familiar. A wound, bleeding from the head – the medical examiner doesn’t know why. Sound like a gun shot wound to me, but will they ever admit it because that does mean foul play. Don’t want to hurt tourism!
Hope the parents get the body sent back to the USA.
Another one – check out http://barcann.livejournal.com/
Another one – check out http://barcann.livejournal.com/
This American woman has lived in St. Maarten for a while, and her blog is quite interesting; it’s obvious she has really enjoyed her life. However, just the other day she was robbed, and now she is not so sure she likes living in St. Maarten. WHEN will they get the picture – has the whole Caribbean become this way?? Would I go back to St. Maarten? No way.
It certainly SOUNDS (and I don’t know, of course) that this guy planned to meet up with someone.
I’d like to know … did they get to St. Maarten by cruise ship? That might not be irrelevant.
Wishing the family the best … and I hope that their determination remains steadfast. Let’s all hope that they get answers soon.
St. Maarten … isn’t this where our old friend Jan van der Straaten is in charge these days?
God be with the family ….
_____________________________
SM: No, he was the Chief of Police in Bonaire but he’s just been replaced by someone new. (klaasend)
Justice in the Caribbean?????. I will believe it when I SEE IT.
BOYCOTT ARUBA JUSTICE FOR NATALEE
I read the link above about the American, Barbara who is living in St Maartan. She said she was at the dentist’s office lying in the chair and two men came in with a machete and a gun and robbed her, the dentist and the assistant. She said the police can’t even keep up with everything that is happening.
Remember Leta Lynn Cordes, the American from California, who was on vacation in St Maarten and has been missing since January 2008.
Seems like the islands are becoming more unsafe all the time and nothing ever gets solved.
True, Brie, but try to bring this to the attention of our legislators, or of groups such as travel agents that are supposed to be dedicated to the safety and well being of American tourists …
and you’ll quickly find out that their money flow is what really interests them.
the refrain:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1099946/mission_viejo_ca_woman_missing_on_st_maarten_since_january_11/
sound familiar???!!!
I AGREE W/ MOST OF THE COMMENTS. AMERICANS SHOULD STAY OFF AND OUT OF THESE ISLANDS. THE PHYSICAL BEAUTY OF THESE PLACES OFTEN HIDES THE TRUE UGLINESS WHERE PEOPLE LIKE VINNIE END UP DEAD. HE WAS A FAMILY FRIEND AND DEAR SOUL WHO WOULD NOT HAVE WALKED OFF INTO BAD AREAS OF THE ISLAND. HE WAS INTELLIGENT AND KIND DID NOT DESERVE THIS DEATH. GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY, I’D GLADLY DOLE OUT THE PUNISHMENT TO THE SAVAGES WHO HAD A PART IN HIS DEATH. MY HEART IS BROKEN FOR THE LOSS OF THIS MAN WHOSE LEFE IS WAS FULL OF PROMISE AND FOR WONDERFUL, DEAR FAMILY.
Haven’t heard anything from Tim Miller about the missing boy, Jose in Aruba that he went searching for…wondering if he is still there…
Saw some photos of Cay Bay and there is nothing there, it is pretty barren, a bunch of gravel around the bay and a dirt road…maybe someone or more than one saw him open his wallet in the casino and saw the money…then he left that casino and moved on to another….and they followed, forced him into the car at gunpoint…drove him out to Cay Bay, stoled his wallet and shot him…
My thoughts and prayers are with the family of Vinnie. If I had any advice to give, it would be to get Vinnie home ASAP and have an autopsy done in the U.S. To say that he had a wound over his left eye, from which blood flowed is, rather, vague.
Prepare yourself for the reality that exists in the region… one that is, just, the opposite of what you were raised to rely upon and belive in.
Meanwhile, the trail grows cold…
It’s part of the ‘game’.
There is no justice in the Caribbean!
.
I’m so sorry…
.
One more thing:
Seek out help from the F.B.I.
Don’t trust their officials to do ANYTHING for you…
Get the attention of the media…
and… SCREAM!
.
Card counting at Atlantis Casino is frowned upon.
I hope that everyone is aware of the case in Antigua, where a British couple on their honeymoon suffered a break-in at their hotel on the last day of their stay.
(Sound familiar?)
The woman was killed; the man was seriously injured. He was brought back to Britain, but recently died there. Apparently (not sure of the details) he never regained consciousness, so was never aware of the death of his wife.
If there is a better place, I hope they are together there ….
Meanwhile, the government there is admitting a few details that prospective tourists might consider … such as that the 911 emergency system there often doesn’t work.
But don’t worry … the government is vowing action. After all, it points out, the reputation of its tourism industry is at stake.
Here’s the article … the wife was shot dead a week ago today.
Sun Aug 3, 1:53 PM ET
LONDON (AFP) – A 31-year-old British man left in a coma after being shot in the head on his honeymoon in Antigua has died, the hospital where he was being treated confirmed on Sunday.
Ben Mullany, whose newlywed wife Catherine was killed instantly in the shooting, had returned home by air ambulance on Saturday to Morriston Hospital in Swansea, south Wales.
“Following brain stem testing that was carried out earlier today, Ben Mullany has now passed away,” a hospital spokeswoman said.
“The thoughts of all the staff who were involved in Ben’s care are with his family at this very sad time.”
Mullany, a physiotherapist, had a fractured skull and a bullet lodged in the back of his head after the attack in the honeymooners’ room at a luxury Antigua resort, which police are treating as a robbery “gone bad.”
Catherine Mullany, who was also 31, was shot dead Sunday — the final day of the couple’s honeymoon — after assailants entered their room.
British detectives have travelled to the Caribbean island at the request of Antigua’s Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer to help catch those behind the double shooting.
Antigua hotels and businesses have offered a 130,000-dollar (84,000-euro) reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible. So far no arrests have been made although police are pursuing several leads.
People that I know of went to Antigua this summer for a vacation and rented a house….they had such a horrifying experience and it was so dangerous they just came back home….
I think tourists should just stay off the islands….and the cruise ships…there are keys floating around to the hotel rooms and crew members on the ships have keys to your room….
Prosecutor said no trace of a crime committed….you have a dead body with a head wound found on a dirt road and his wallet is missing….of course a crime was committed…Vincent was on foot so he didn’t drive himself there..and don’t even begin to say he had a seizure….
My heart goes out to the Cullens. I’ve known Vincent since he was a toddler and to say my family and I are shocked is an understatement. The Cullens have been vacationing in St. Maarten since we were little kids and I can’t believe this has happened to them. Vinny was a great person and will be tremendously missed. May you be at peace in heaven with Nana…
The carribean is nothing but a Pirates Den.
BOYCOTT THE CARRIBEAN
My heart aches for Vinnie’s family. How could something so brutal happen to such wonderful young man with his whole future ahead of him.
Thousands of tourists flock to these islands every year enticed by their beauty, but we are all forgetting one important issue – these are FOREIGN countries that are governed very differently than the United States. They view Americans as spoiled despite the fact that because of us, we generate a significant part of the countries revenues from our tourism. I will never visit one of the islands after this and will do everything I can to discourage any else from going as well.
I certainly hope the police in St. Maarten are doing everything humanly possibly to bring this person or persons to justice. My advice would be to keep this in the media as much and as long as possible both here in the US as well as in St. Maarten. Put as much pressure on the authorities in St. Maarten as possible.
I pray that Vinnie’ family find justice for their son and brother. I hold this family close to my heart as if they were my own and I am devastated by this tradgedy. My most heart felt thoughts and prayers go out to the entire family and I pray for their strength to see them through this horrific event.
I am the sister of Vincent Mark Cullen. I want to assure everyone that we will do EVERYTHING and ANYTHING possible to get HIS case resolved. My family will not rest until the killer or killers are known and justice for VINCE is served.
The US embassy and state dept. are fully aware and working furiously on his case. Everything in the Carribean works as slow as molasses but if it take my entire life I will find out what happened. A significant reward will be offered shortly for information related to his case.
DO NOT BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU READ FROM THE ST MAARTEN PAPERS– WE READ A STORY TODAY THAT WAS FULL OF LIES AND LIES. SHORTLY WE WILL BE GIVING AN INTERVIEW WITH THEIR LOCAL PAPER.
JUSTICE FOR VINNIE WILL BE SERVED –I GUARANTEE IT
KEEP VINNIE IN YOUR PRAYERS
I LOVE YOU VINNIE NOW AND FOREVER YOUR DEVOTED SISTER MARIE
This message is to MARTINI
HOW DARE YOU IF YOU HAVE A SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT ALANTIS CASINO AND VINNIE YOU BETTER POST IT
YOU ARE A F*** COWARD TO BE POSTING SOMETHING LIKE THIS ON THE SITE
PUT YOUR REAL NAME UP AND TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW
or god help you
____________
SM: Don’t let a troll get to you … of course he is a coward … a keyboard coward to be exact.
R
#25.
Marie, we have been through this type of smear the victim that takes place on Caribbean islands with Natalee Holloway for 3+ years.
We wish you all the best in your search for truth and justice. We have your back.
RED
Marie:
What Red says is true. Arubans have been toasting to Natalee’s disappearance, refusing to help the family in their search and in some cases sabatoging any progress that’s made in her recovery. It’s as if there’s an undercurrent of ‘anti-Americanism’ that raises its’ head in celebration, everytime one of us fall; when all the time, they are tripping us.
Red and Mrs. Red, Klaas and all their monkeys are on your side. We can make a special page on the forum for your brother, ask for information of the public, do anything you wish for us to do to help. Just name it.
I think I can speak for all of us when I say our prayers are with you.
.
Patti
Casinos have cameras everywhere.
Have you asked to view the tapes?
There are lurkers. People that try to look busy, when all the time they are stalking the person that’s winning. There are also people that get angry about someone else winning and not them… desperate people. These are the ones you need to look for.
In viewing the tape, also look for faces that you recognize. Sometimes, we are hurt by the ones that pretend to be our friends and casinos can be a dangerous place, even in daylight.
If you have to look at it a hundred times, be insistant. Don’t let anyone rob you of your justice… take your time, don’t be hurried. If you can, get a copy of it.
.
God Bless You and Your Family.
Cay Bay is not a tourist area. If he was killed there, then a local had to have taken him there.
Marie-
Great to have you posting here as a Monkey!! Our thoughts are with you. Keep the pressure on the Dutch.
Marie, thank you for posting here. Our thoughts are with you and your family. If you need anything that we can do, such as writing letters to the appropriate authorities, you have only to ask.
Please keep us informed about things … and while you are focused on one cause now, someday maybe you can unveil all the lies told locally.
It would perhaps be of help to many Americans.
Best wishes.
My sincere sympathy goes out to the Cullen family. Marie, thank you for your post here. The disinformation is no surprise to those of us who have followed the Natalee Holloway case for more than three years. BE VERY AWARE of the local tourism association/s and the Caribbean Tourism Association. Be prepared for anything, and everything to be done to make it appear that Vinnie, or your family was in some way responsible for his death. It’s how they operate. Sadly, nothing is more important than tourism dollars to them. Aruba and the reprehensible manner in which the investigation of Natalee Holloway’s disappearance has been handled is a prime example. Your family is doing the right thing by staying there and demanding justice, don’t let them sweep this under the rug. I pray that justice for Vinnie will come very soon.
TM
the holloway family
this is the foundation beth has set up
International Safe Travels Foundation
1110 N. Glebe Road, Suite 580
Arlington, Virginia 22201
By Phone: (703) 908-0708
By Fax: (703) 908-0709
dave and robin – she can probably find dave via Texas EquuSearch, the guy that runs it searched for natalee and became close friends with dave
Office
4013 FM 517, Suite B Dickinson, Texas 77539
P. O. Box 395, Dickinson, Texas 77539
Office: (281) 309-9500
Fax : (281) 534-6719
Toll Free: (877) 270-9500
Here is a post from Marie Cullen today -
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
It’s a relief to know that Vince didn’t meet with foul play. If he had, we would have been there to help them as much as we could. But, at a time like this, nothing will help… but time.
.
Marie:
Stay strong. You must go on. If I had a daughter, she’d be just like you… willing to go to battle for her brother. You have won our respect and we have found a part of ourselves in you. If you need anything… we’re here.
Always,
Patti
.
TO RED~ You call me an KEYBOARD COWARD????
I agree and here is why.
http://www.atlantisworldgroup.com/content/view/13/27/
This company owns four casinos on St. Maarten.
If VMC went to that casino prior to being found dead, the casino would not want to be part of an investigation. There are still ppl who say Leta Lynn Cordes was seen in the Westin casino. The casino tapes controlled by the casino revealed she was never there.
___________
SM: Its unfounded accusations made … not that a casino’s are referenced in story.
A taxi driver has come forward and it is now looking as if VMC did not go to any casino but directly went to Cay Bay on his own wishes.
http://www.thedailyherald.com/tdhonline/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=414:driver-cullen-was-looking-kind-of-funny-on-last-taxi-trip&catid=56:today
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.
I wonder what brought the cab driver out at this late date. It’s been about 8 days since Vinnie’s death. Makes me wonder.
VMC’s medicine that was found in his pocket was for intense knee pain…
Still looking for answers to such a complicated situation.
http://www.sxmpages.com/content/view/1125/1/
I know this is a sensitive issue, but the family refuses to release the blood toxology reports – something that could shed some light on the situation. Since the family spent so much time slamming the island during the investigation, I find it hard to understand why they refuse to now educate us on the final outcome. I realize they have absolutely no obligation to do so. But by not doing anything, the majority of people here on the island will continue to assume Vinnie suffered some drug-related death. According to the cab driver, he asked to be driven to a specific known drug-traffic area (twice) While distressing, this is not something to be ashamed of. If he had an illness/addiction, let us know. But it seems wrong to insinuate(by silence) that he had absolutely nothing to do with his own demise. I know how hard it can be to admit when a family member loses their way, but 1/2-truths will continue to fly around until the family shares the blood results.
some islands in the eastern caribbean — and st. maarten is one of them — are so dangerous that American tourists should absolutely avoid them.
i have spent a lot of time on st. maarten. the french side is much safer than the dutch side since there are no gambling casinos on the french side. the people of st. maarten are very poor. there are many different islands and nationalities represented on the island. the police are understaffed and many police officers and immigration officials are totally corrupt. a money bribe does wonders in st. maarten.
when you think of st. maarten, think PIRATE ISLAND. that is what it is, and the ancestors of the pirates reign.
st. maarten is a pirate island where violence is king and, according to a recent government study, one out of every five tourists is either robbed or assaulted.