Body of U.S. citizen at Westin sent to embassy without autopsy, many questions remain unanswered

❐ Staff Reporter

Police have recovered the body of an American citizen named Terence Orvel Jackson (50) from the Westin Hotel in the capital’s Gulshan. The US embassy claims that Jackson died of natural causes.

Gulshan Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Hafizur Rahman said on Sunday night that an American citizen named Terence Arvel Jackson rented a room at the Westin Hotel on August 27. Jackson rented the room at the Westin Hotel through the US Embassy in Dhaka. But the hotel authorities became suspicious when he stayed in the room for the last two days but did not order any food and they informed the US Embassy and the police about this. Later, a team of responsible officials including a medical unit from the embassy and a police team went.

OC Hafizur said he was found lying in the room after the door was opened in the presence of police and US embassy officials on Sunday afternoon. A doctor and other officials on behalf of the embassy examined the body.

Later, concluding that it was a ‘natural death’, embassy officials took the body into their custody ‘without an autopsy’, the OC said.

Hotel sources say that officials from the Criminal Investigation Department, Police Bureau of Investigation and other investigative units went to the scene. But the embassy authorities hastily took the body away without heeding their opinions or allowing an examination.

OC Hafizur Rahman said, “The embassy authorities made a written request to us and took the body. We initially learned that Jackson had come to Bangladesh on business. And he checked into the Westin Hotel through the US embassy.”

However, the mystery surrounding Jackson’s death continues to loom. According to the embassy, ​​the police said Jackson came to Bangladesh a few months ago on business. Although he checked in at the Westin Hotel on August 30, Jackson had been in Bangladesh since late April.

Where he went, who he met on business, what business he was doing for four months that required him to stay in a star hotel, and why the US embassy hastily took his body away without an autopsy, declaring it a ‘natural death’ – many questions remain unanswered.

A special source at the Westin Hotel said on condition of anonymity that Terrence Orvel Jackson was in good health and did not appear to be physically ill or suffering from any disease. The room service team members cannot consider his death as ‘natural’. However, the hotel authorities have strictly prohibited anyone from speaking out about the matter.