July 19, 2001 – Police have ruled out foul play in the death of 41-year-old Eliazar "Gumaro" Vargas, who was found dead July 6 at the bottom of the stairs at Unity Lodge on Fireburn Hill.
Deputy Chief of Police Theodore Carty said the medical examiner's report determined that Vargas died of cirrhosis of the liver.
Earlier that week, Vargas had checked himself out of Roy L. Schneider Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment for the disease.
Initial reports of the death said Vargas had fallen. Carty said it was possible Vargas had "stumbled and fallen," but "the fall had nothing to do with his death."
Unity Lodge is a halfway house for clean and sober alcoholics. Vargas had been a resident but was unable to meet the continuous abstinence requirement and was not living there at the time of his death.
Vargas was originally from California but had come to St. Thomas from St. Croix.