‘Gov’t Resisted Five Forensic Pathologists’ – Princess Cooper’s Family Alleged

The family of the late Princess Cooper said since the death of their daughter, there have been frantic efforts in the quest of achieving justice ranging from aiding investigators, staging a peaceful march for justice, and the contacting independent forensic pathologists out of Liberia’s borders, but encountered unjustified deniers by the government.

Princess Cooper, 25, on Thursday, March 24, 2022, was mysteriously killed, and her lifeless body was discovered in a fence belonging to FAWAZ Building Construction Company at the ELWA Junction, Paynesville City, Monrovia.

In a press statement issued this week, May 24, the family disclosed that since the incident, there have been several dissatisfaction, unnecessary missteps, and unjustified deniers by the Government of Liberia through the Liberia National Police (LNP) and the Justice Ministry.

The family through the press statement outlined the government’s missteps within the investigation proceedings ranging from below;

1. That we witnessed and yet to have tangible reasons for which the crime scene was totally exposed and furthermore never protected for a certain period due to the critical occurrence of this Mysterious Death of our beloved Daughter/Sister, bright future Leader, and a national asset.
2. That the lack of willingness and acceptance to have brought in all residents within the FAWAZ COMPOUND alongside some nearby residents of the crime scene surroundings as well as eyewitnesses whom we believed could have been strategically questioned thereby using that which would have been gathered from them to be compared with the confirmed visible assessments gathered from the crime scene “that is if there was any proper assessment done at all”.
3. That there was also a few individuals captured as persons of interest but amongst those; only certain personalities were exposed to the General Public both via mentioning their names and publishing an in-house investigation video with one of the listed person of interest leaving out an unidentified Lebanese Personality of whom the Public is yet to be informed as to why was he captured and what was gathered during the then investigation with him.
4. That the first abrupt Preliminary Report published by the Liberia National Police (LNP) then confirmed that there was no foul play but yet without any medical examination which we believed had already undermined the fair play of this entire investigation process.
5. That the Family formal complaints directly reported through the Justice Ministry unto the Government of Liberia whereas we confirmed our disapproval for an autopsy to have been conducted by Dr. Benedict Kolee and his team due to qualification concerns which was never adhered to.
6. That the Liberia National Police (LNP) has since failed even before or after the Autopsy to have provided a Full-skill or Comprehensive Report from what was gathered from their executed investigation so that one would see if it has any form of collaboration with the agreed Government of Liberia Autopsy Report.
7. That the family was and has never been respected in regards to communications during this entire process either directly or through our Lawyers.
8. That with all the hurdles and resistances visibly notified in getting the Family’s designated Pathologists to land within the Country even after the very same Government of Liberia through H.E. Dr. George Manneh Weah’s offer seems to be a tangible contradiction and signals huge fraud as well as uncovered motives.
9. That our many efforts made towards this process ranging from formal communications sent to the Ministry of Justice followed by boycotting the autopsy upon our confirmed notification that all of our communications and actions were never recognized by the Justice Ministry and the GOL at large, staging numerous of peaceful protests for justice during which times we were mal-handled, ruthlessly beaten, and incarcerated without charges, successfully contacting pathologists out of the Country which we considered to be independent “.

According to the family, a total of five forensic pathologists” were resisted without purpose for three weeks; all of which the family said cited insecurity and resistance concerns and then declined the process.