PLACENCIA, Stann Creek District, Wed. Mar. 1, 2017–On Wednesday morning, rumor quickly circulated that four persons had died in a fatal traffic mishap at around 5 a.m. on the Placencia road between Miles 2 and 3.
However, an official police report revealed that only two persons had died, but were burnt beyond recognition.
Police reported that the victims were in a Ford F150 pickup which veered off the highway, crashed into a lamppost, and burst into flames.
According to police reports, “A post-mortem examination was conducted on the two charred human remains that verified that they were those of a male in the back, and female in the front [seat] and cause of death was certified to be due to ‘thermal injuries’.”
According to our source in the Police Department, however, this was not an accident — it was a case of double murder.
No driver was found in the burnt vehicle, only the charred remains of the husband and wife
He told us that the man and woman found dead are a Hungarian couple. The husband was found in the back seat while the wife was riding in the passenger seat. Strangely, no driver was found in the vehicle.
Additionally, the particulars of the vehicle have been tracked down and it has been discovered that it does not belong to the deceased couple.
Also, the licenses plate were not on the vehicle when police found it burnt with the two bodies inside.
According to our source, documents have recently come forward indicating that the couple had been involved in a business transaction in the Maya Beach area of Placencia. That transaction, according to our source, may have potentially turned deadly.
Our source told our newspaper that the couple is suspected to have been murdered before or during the fire, and it is believed that the car accident was staged.
Additionally, he revealed that the Fire Department has not yet indicated to investigators the cause of the fire. We contacted our sources in the Fire Department, who confirmed that the investigation was still open.
A faulty processing of the crime scene adds another layer to this complex case. The charred F150 was reportedly removed from the area by the vehicle’s owner, who then took it to the dumpsite. He was never given permission to do so by police, we are told by our source.
According to our source, investigators have been unable to locate the vehicle since then. As a result, he said, police and fire investigators have lost a major piece of evidence.
Our source also revealed that the man who owned the burnt vehicle, as well as two other men involved in the business transaction with the Hungarian couple, has been detained at the Independence police station pending questioning.
We understand that the case has been forwarded to the police’s major crimes unit.