Murder Suspect Released

The manhunt continues for the murderer of Maria Antonia Plaza Gomez as last night's apprehension of a murder suspect turned out to be a bust. The man who was detained in Caye Caulker and brought to San Pedro late last night for questioning was able to provide to the San Pedro Police Department enough evidence that he is a new visitor to Belize. According to Police, the man was very cooperative and shortly after his detainment he was released and transported back to the island of Caye Caulker. The Police Department continues its intensive search for more evidence for the possible identification of Gomez's murderer.

Police Seek Missing Items of Murder Victim Maria Antonia Plaza Gomez

The San Pedro Police Department has released information about two items that have been reported missing, belonging to the late Maria Antonia Plaza Gomez. These items include a silver Panasonic LUMIX HD Digital Camera and a Nokia N96 Cell Phone (pictured below).

NOKIA N96 Slide Phone

Silver Panasonic LUMIX HD Camera

The San Pedro Police Department is now seeking assistance from the public in the recovery or identification of the missing items or identifying individuals in possession of them. Information given to the Police Department will be kept confidential and used cautiously. Any assistance rendered to the Police Department will be greatly appreciated and an asset to the department to solve this heinous crime. Contact the San Pedro Police Department at 226-2022, 922 or 1-800-922-TIPS.

Official Post Mortem Report 

    Dr. Mario Estradaban’s post mortem examination report on the body of Spanish National Maria Antonia Gomez Plaza indicates that the cause of death is due to strangulation. Two persons are detained and third person is being sought who can help the Police solve this recent murder. Plaza’s partially nude body showed signs of violence and a belt was found around her neck, believed to be the instrument used to strangulate her.

    Family members of Plaza will be transporting her body back home, but the police are still conducting an intense investigation to capture her murderer and bring that person to justice. Plaza was last seen in the company of a stock man on Coconut Drive, less than half a mile from Corona del Mar Hotel where she was staying.

    Sgt. Fitzroy Yearwood, Belize Police Press Officer had this to say to Marion Ali of News 5 in Belize City:

    “Well the person we are looking for is of Caucasian decent. The persons that we have detained, at some point during her stay on the island, they were seen either communicating with her or in actually moving around with her on the island with at least one of the two persons that we have detained. What we’re asking is that if members of the community know this person that we are looking for, if they can come forward and just assist us, even if it’s just for identification purpose—just for us to know who we are actually looking for that would help and go a long way. People who actually saw this woman on the island and made this photo available, they would remember who they saw her with and we are asking them to come forward so as not to prejudice the case for identification purposes.”

Missing Person Found Dead

 

    On Sunday, October 31, San Pedro Police received a report that a female flight attendant of Maya Island Air Regional had gone missing. And shortly after 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 2, police found the lifeless body of 37-year-old, Maria Antonia Plaza Gomez.

    Maria Antonia Plaza Gomez arrived in Belize City on Friday, October 29 and told the rest of the flight crew that she would be spending the night on San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. She checked in at the Corona del Mar Hotel and went out for the evening. 

The body of Maria being removed from the murder site and transported to south end of island for the autopsy

    It has been confirmed that Plaza Gomez was seen on Saturday night at the Holiday Hotel Halloween Party and on Sunday morning, October 31, she told hotel employees that she was going to confirm her return flight for 2:00 p.m. at the airstrip. A surveillance camera at the hotel captured Plaza Gomez leaving the premises at around 7:58 a.m.; she then stopped at the Ramon’s Village gift shop where she made a purchase and around 10:00 a.m. she reconfirmed her flight to Belize City at the Maya Island Air airstrip office.

    After leaving Maya Island Air, Plaza Gomez walked back towards her hotel. News Five interviewed Mr. Arnulfo Escobar, a fruit vendor in front of Ramon’s Village, who stated that he saw Plaza Gomez with a tall Caucasian male who had long hair and carried a backpack. After she made a purchase at his fruit stall, Plaza along with her male companion, continued in the direction of her hotel south of town.

    That was the last time Plaza Gomez was seen and when she did not make her flight back to the city and didn’t show up to work, Maya Island reported her missing. San Pedro Police along with Maya Island Air personnel commenced a search for Plaza Gomez and on Monday, November 1, the community of San Pedro came together distributing fliers with Plaza’s picture and posting them on lap posts around town and conducting a search around the island.

    Three days after her disappearance police intensified their search and on Tuesday, November 2, shortly after 3:00 p.m. police stumbled upon the body of a female in a bushy area of a private lot located on the beachfront area which is off an alley that connects to Coconut Drive. This location is just a block away from the hotel where she was staying.

Bushes under the house's veranda where the lifeless body of Plaza Gomez was found

  Maya Island personnel were quickly informed about the finding and the area was blocked by police as the area was quickly filled with onlookers. The lifeless body of Plaza Gomez was found in a bushy area under the veranda of the building covered with a floating device. The building is occupied by local businessman Mr. Dennis Sunderman.

    It was confirmed to us that the body was found in a preliminary state of decomposition and was partially nude. Plaza Gomez was wearing a white tank-top blouse with dark trousers and her blouse was pulled up to her neck and her bra had been pulled down, exposing her breasts. There were many visible bruises on the body including bite marks.

    It was about 6:00 p.m. when Dr. Mario Estradaban, coroner of Belize, arrived to the scene along with a forensic team of investigators. The lifeless body of Plaza was removed from the crime scene at about 8:15 p.m. and was taken to an isolated area south of Ambergris Caye, in the Boca Ciega Area, where Dr. Estradaban conducted an autopsy. The body was later transported to Belize City via the police boat where Dr. Estradaban will continue his investigations.

    Plaza Gomez was violently tortured, assaulted and brutally murdered; she was not raped. Dr. Estradaban’s findings confirm that Plaza Gomez was killed at the place where she was found and the gruesome murder occurred on Sunday, October 31 sometime between 12 midday and 2:00 p.m. Police reports and Ambergris Today research confirm that this is the first murder case of the year.

Police blocked off beach front area to conduct their investigations

Beachfront home where the body of Maria was found

Police and special constables await the recovery of the body

Forensics officer Arian Jones and Special Constable Karim Maroun enter the crime scene

Resident of house talks with Police Officer

 

 

Pictures of the Crime Scene the following day

 

PM Barrow’s Speech in Miami Interrupted by Murder Case

Prime Minister of Belize, Hon. Dean O. Barrow made his first official visit to South Florida over the weekend from June 25 to 27. The trip was to bring Hon. Barrow closer to South Florida's Belizean community in an effort to foster investment and business opportunities.

But his trip was made a bit more interesting than he and his guests had anticipated. On Saturday, June 26, while PM Barrow was wrapping up his speech at the Miami Beach Resort & Spa, he was interrupted by Miami Beach Police who arrived at the hotel to investigate the shooting death of a man who was found on the 11th floor.

Officers pulled out and quickly evacuated 1,000 people from the hotel -- including the 100-person wedding party and the 300 guests who gathered to hear Belize Prime Minister Dean Barrow speak in a separate hall.

Here in Belize, while residents were bracing for Tropical Storm Alex to arrive, rumors began to circulating and some news outlets were reporting that the PM had been shot during his first official visit to the U.S. Hon. Barrow's staff and most hotel guests were stranded outside the resort for hours, unable to retrieve their vehicles from valet parking. Guests weren't allowed back in until about 3a.m.

On the 11th floor, police spent the night collecting evidence and questioning witnesses. No arrests have been made. The victim's name has not been released. It's unclear if he was a hotel guest. Also unclear is whether his death is a homicide or a suicide. (More on this week’s issue of Ambergris Today)

Tropic Air Caye Caulker Manager Found Dead

- Press Release, Tropic Air, Friday, October 02, 2009 – “Tropic Air is sorry to announce that Lorleen Young our Station Maneger in Caye Caulker was killed during a robbery of her home yesterday evening, Thursday, October 1, 2009. Lorleen was a 15-year employee of Tropic Air, and a loyal and valued member of our management team. Lorleen was a dedicated wife and mother. She is survived by her husband and children. Funeral arrangements will be announced later.”

Confirmed reports from the San Pedro Police Department is that the manager of Tropic Air in Caye Caulker, identified as Loreen Young, has been found dead in her home in Caye Caulker. The Amandala Newspaper in Belize City reports that it has since been informed by more than one source that Young, a mother of three, was the apparent victim of a burglary/home invasion in which the culprits broke into her home, stole valuables and then apparently slit her throat in her bathroom and left her for dead. This matter is still under investigation with a joint effort between San Pedro and Caye Caulker Police Departments; no arrests have been made.