Grenadian authorities have confirmed that the investigation into the August death of former opposition senator Neilon Franklyn remains ongoing, with no conclusive determination yet made regarding whether the death was a homicide, suicide, or accident.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Vannie Curwen addressed the case during the year-end police news conference on December 24th, characterizing the investigation as “very complex” and noting that authorities are awaiting results from regional forensic laboratories. “I do not want to speak specifically on Neilon’s matter except to say this matter is still under investigation,” Curwen stated. “It is a matter that we have been assisted with both locally and regionally in terms of some of the labs that we have been working with.”
The investigation is being directed by Christopher Nelson, Grenada’s Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who is overseeing all aspects of the case. Curwen emphasized that the prolonged investigation reflects professionalism rather than secrecy, stating: “Our Director of Public Prosecution is leading that investigation; he is directing that investigation, and at some point, when he feels comfortable that he has all that he needs, he will address the nation.”
Franklyn, who was appointed as an opposition senator by former Opposition Leader Dr. Keith Mitchell, resigned from his parliamentary position in September 2024 and returned to his previous role as a customs officer. His death occurred at The General Hospital after he collapsed at his home following an evening of social activities. Franklyn was buried in September, though the circumstances surrounding his death remain officially undetermined.
Curwen concluded that authorities would only make public statements when they had “definitive answers, the data, the result, the testing, the lab, the investigation” to support their conclusions.