Two Sarita Deliverymen Murdered in Broad Daylight

Tonight, Belizeans across the country are heartbroken and outraged following the double murder of Sarita truck drivers Raynard Garbutt and Alexander Crawford. According to police, the two employees were discovered lying face down with a single gunshot wound to the back of their heads and the cash pan in the nearby abandoned truck emptied. Police were called to the scene after a farmer travelling in the area observed the abandoned truck and alerted the company. Now, police are trying to piece together the events leading up to the men’s murder and ensure justice for innocent citizens. News Five’s Britney Gordon has the full report.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Christmas is just days away, but for two families in western Belize, the season is anything but merry. On Thursday night, two men, twenty-two-year-old Raynard Garbutt and forty-three-year-old Alexander Crawford, were shot dead while carrying out their duties as truck drivers for the Sarita brand. Police were alerted around seven p.m., but according to the truck’s GPS data, it had been parked on the side of the road since three forty-eight p.m. that day.

 

ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer

“The vehicle was parked on the side of the road so something happened that may have caused the driver of the vehicle to believe that he was stopping for a legitimate purpose, when in fact that was not the case. And in that regard, we want to urge members of the public to be very security conscious when they’re traveling on the road. If they encounter any checkpoint that they believe to be not a legitimately sanctioned checkpoint or a legitimately sanctioned checkpoint will be by multiple officers in uniform. So if that is the situation you continue on.”

 

The tragic loss of two innocent, hardworking men has deeply impacted their families. Garbutt leaves behind a one-month-old daughter. Crawford, on the other hand, was one of nine siblings. His mother, Cecilia Crawford, says the pain of losing her child is indescribable.

 

Voice of: Cecilia Crawford, Mother of Deceased

“I can’t even talk straight or think straight. It so sad I lose my son like I always hear people lose ney children tragic like that and I always seh how that family mussi feel. Well now I know how it feel.”

 

The men had been on their way to the Sarita’s warehouse in Santa Elena after making deliveries in Dangriga that morning. Elmer Juarez, the Logistics and Importation Manager, explained that a communication lapse occurred during the pair’s shift, but it only became concerning after GPS data was reviewed later that day.

 

Elmer Juarez, Logistics & Importation Manager, Recinos Imports

“The crew here at the warehouse, they were expecting them to be here for the loading to take place. They usually have that communication between drivers on their way. Thye tried to communicate several times. We know that’s an area, coming back from Dangriga, where you lose signal for quite some time, so they thought that it was maybe it was bad signal that they had.”

 

The exact amount stolen from the vehicle remains unknown; however, Juarez noted that since most clients pay via online transfer, the sum is likely minimal. We asked if the company is considering installing dashboard cameras on the vehicles. Juarez says that the management is currently discussing increased security measures.

 

Elmer Juarez

“Everything will be placed on the table, there is a lot to discuss and I’m sure that things are to come in place.”

 

Police suspect that the truck may have been followed for some time before the vehicle was intercepted. Crawford’s mother hopes that justice can be delivered swiftly for her son.

 

Voice of: Cecilia Crawford, Mother of Deceased

“I just seh that he mussi know who kill he because the way we hear it happen and the way ney find he away from the vehicle and t seh maybe he know who kill ah. Maybe he mek out the person who kill he.” 

Police are advising businesses to equip all delivery vehicles with dashboard cameras and to transition away from carrying cash during transport. Britney Gordon for News Five.