Dear Editor,
We are writing today not out of choice, but out of necessity, to denounce an unacceptable and deeply disturbing situation involving the handling of a death in Philipsburg. What we are witnessing is an institutional failure.
The deceased is my partner’s uncle. For three full days, we have been attempting to contact the police. During this time, we have received absolute silence: no phone calls, no returned emails, no official explanation, no information, and not even a case number.
This is not a minor administrative delay. This is a complete institutional failure.
We were informed that the family was supposedly the first to be contacted and notified. Yet, to this day, the family has received no follow-up, no confirmation, no transparency, and no respect. We are left in the dark while trying to grieve, understand, and simply obtain basic information about what happened to our loved one.
This contradiction alone raises serious questions about internal procedures and standards.
This is not merely a question of poor individual conduct. It points to a systemic breakdown in institutional responsibility, where protocols meant to protect families, ensure transparency, and uphold dignity appear to be ignored or absent altogether.
This level of disregard is shocking. It reflects a total lack of professionalism, accountability, and human decency toward both the deceased and their family. When authorities remain silent in the aftermath of a death, it sends a dangerous message: that families do not matter, and that transparency is optional.
When an institution tasked with public safety and justice fails to communicate after a death, it undermines public trust. Silence in such circumstances is not neutral — it is harmful. It leaves families in uncertainty, fuels distress, and suggests that accountability is optional rather than fundamental.
We are now turning to the media because every other channel has failed. No family should have to chase the police, beg for answers, or wait indefinitely without even the most basic acknowledgment of their loss.
This silence must be questioned. It must be exposed. And it must be answered.
And because institutional silence must be met with public scrutiny. If authorities can remain unreachable, unresponsive, and unaccountable in cases involving death, then this is not an isolated issue — it is a matter of public interest.
We call on journalists to examine not only this specific case, but the broader institutional practices that allow such situations to occur:
• What protocols govern communication with families after a death?
• Why are these protocols not being followed?
• Who is responsible for ensuring transparency and accountability?
Institutions do not operate in a vacuum. When they fail, the consequences affect real people, real families, and real lives. Visibility is often the only mechanism left to restore accountability — which is why we are speaking out this situation and to ask the necessary questions:
Why has there been no communication?
Why has no case number been provided?
Why is a grieving family being treated with such disregard?
Accountability begins with visibility. That is why we are speaking publicly.
We respectfully request that this situation be investigated and that the appropriate authorities be held accountable for their failure to communicate.
Sincerely, Samuel Saintune