Young Community Leader Jose Bautista Killed in Crash

A commute on Easter Sunday along the San Ignacio–Benque Road turned tragic, leaving a family in mourning and a tight knit community struggling to come to terms with a heartbreaking loss. A traffic accident claimed the life of Jose Bautista, a well known young community servant and athlete whose impact reached far beyond the field. Tonight, friends, teammates, and loved ones are remembering the life he lived and the legacy he leaves behind. News Five’s Shane Williams has our report.

 

Shane Williams Reporting…

Instead of celebrations and plans for the future, one Benque Viejo household is now filled with memories and unanswered questions. Jose Rivera Bautista, affectionately known as Poste, was more than a familiar face in the community. He was a brother, a role model, and a young man whose presence was deeply woven into village life. Tonight, as Benque Viejo mourns the sudden loss of one of its own, his family is leaning on memories to make sense of the heartbreak. For his sister, Yancy Bautista, the loss is still painfully real.

 

Yancy Bautista, Sister of Deceased:

“He was a friendly person, a kind person. He never give trouble. He never answer my prayers none at all. He was a good child and he was close to us. It’s only three of us, my sister, me, and him. Now he’s the only little only boy we have in the family.”

 

Just hours before everything changed, they were laughing, talking, sharing an ordinary moment that now feels anything but. No warning. No hint that later that night, a single phone call would shatter their lives. For Jose Bautista’s family, those final moments together have become memories they now  cling to through unimaginable loss.

 

Yancy Bautista

“When My sister called me she tell me he got in an accident.  She tell me Yans go look for your brother. I tell her why, what happened? She say your brother got in an accident and I just, I ask anybody from there, make them hurry and take me maybe by the roadside or Benque road. And then when we see the news like Eliyu he post it on Facebook? He was going live and then I hurry left the place. I gone see what was going on. When I reached at the scenery, I asked the people them weh the run where towards where they had the vehicle. And then I was just there asking about my brother what’s happening? And they tell me no, they not allow nobody to go through. And then when I come and I tell the police, I tell her, it’s my brother.”

 

Assistant Superintendent Stacy Smith says investigators are still working to piece together exactly what happened in the moments before the crash. While the probe is ongoing and more details are expected, early indications suggest Bautista may have been at fault.

 

ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer

“The officers reported that upon arriving at the scene, they observed a gold Toyota Camry car which was extensively damaged and inside that vehicle, behind the driver’s seat was the unresponsive body of a male person learned to be Bautista. Also observed on the scene was a Bluebird bus, which showed damage to the front driver’s side and a red Toyota Corolla which also showed damage to the front driver’s side. What the investigation has so far suggested is that Bautista was traveling in a west to east direction, and the other two vehicles being the bus and the Toyota Corolla were coming in the opposite direction. It is alleged that the vehicle that Bautista was driving veered into the lane of the bus, causing a collision with the bus and the Corolla which was traveling immediately behind the bus. Urine samples have been collected from the driver of the bus and the other vehicle, and they have both been served with notices of intended prosecution.”

 

Known for his passion on the football field and his dedication to his job, Bautista’s death has sent shockwaves through the community, with tributes pouring in from friends, teammates, and colleagues. Bautista leaves behind a young daughter, who his family says meant everything to him.

 

Yancy Bautista

“He has a little girl. Her name is Rhea Bautista. They live in Succotz. And that little girl was everything to him. Everything.”

 

Tonight, the loss ripples far beyond one household. As a grieving family clings to memories, the wider community, including the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing, is also mourning. MIDH Chief Executive Officer Victor Espat says the ministry has been left shaken by Bautista’s passing, remembering him as a talented operator, a dedicated worker, and a young man whose commitment and work ethic stood out well before his life was cut short. Shane Williams for News Five.

 

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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