Belize Investigates Elderly American Found on Drifting Catamaran

Authorities are trying to piece together a troubling mystery at sea after rescuers found an elderly American man dead aboard a drifting catamaran more than sixty miles offshore. The vessel, last seen leaving Livingston about a week ago, first drew attention when the crew of the MSC Divina radioed in a distress call. A woman on board had been rescued and told them her husband suddenly went into cardiac arrest. But when Belize’s Rescue Team reached the abandoned catamaran Wednesday morning, they discovered the man’s body inside and signs of blood, raising new questions about what really happened during the couple’s voyage. The Coast Guard towed the vessel to Caye Caulker, where police and Scenes of Crime officers have now launched a full investigation. CEO of the Ministry of National Defense and Border Security, Francis Usher, breaks down what authorities know so far, and what they’re still trying to determine.

 

Francis Usher, CEO, Ministry of National Defense & Border Security

“We received a distress call from the MSC Divina on Monday indicating that there was a woman in distress aboard a vessel east of Belize City and that there was a body on board. We understand now that the cruise ship took the woman on board and then left the body on the vessel. The body and the vessel were towed into Caye Caulker this morning and police took over from there. I don’t want to speak on behalf of the police department, but they proceeded to do their initial investigations, and I understand that due to some apparent wounds on the seen on the body, and due to the state of decomposition, the body was then transported to Belize City for further examination and the Coast Guard towed the vessel to the Coast Guard base where it’ll be secured for police to conduct further investigation into that vessel.”

 

Paul Lopez

“Is there any foul play suspected at this point in time?”

 

Francis Usher

“So you would have to check with the lead investigators from the police department about that.”

 

Paul Lopez

“In terms of the vessel’s origin, what do we know about that?”

 

Francis Usher

“So the Coast Guard and the police department are in active communication with the son of the deceased who is in country and is making the necessary arrangements to transport the body back home. What we understand from the son is that they departed Livingstone about a week ago.”

 

Paul Lopez

“Why wasn’t there a response immediately following the distress call?”

 

Francis Usher

“So there was a response, due to the location of the vessel at the time that the distress call was made or that the distress call came in from the cruise ship., it was too far out or too far east for the Coast Guard to go out and get it. So we started to alert our regional partners who are willing to go. But when we explained the situation and they did their analysis. We awaited or  we allowed the currents or so to come and the Coast Guard went out to get it and towed it back in. They took it to Caye Caulker, which was the nearest point for them to do their in initial analysis. And at that point, the police made the determination that we should take it to Belize City.”

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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