PROGRESSO, Corozal District, Fri. Apr. 21, 2017–Balthazar Santos Lino, 45, a hunter of Progresso, took his dog with him when he went hunting in an area between Progresso and Caledonia on Good Friday, April 14.
Yesterday morning, six days later, Lino’s dog returned, without his master, and Lino’s family became alarmed. His family went looking for him in the area where he usually went to hunt, and on their arrival at about 5:00 yesterday, they smelled rotting flesh.
The stench became stronger as they drew closer to a well.
Lino’s brother said that when they looked in the shallow well, which was about 5 feet deep, they saw Lino floating face-down in the well, which contained about 4 feet of water. The body was in an advanced state of decomposition.
Police went to the scene and they took Lino out of the well. Those who saw him said that some cut wounds that were seen on his neck and body strongly resembled those that would be caused by a jaguar.
An onsite post-mortem exam was conducted on Lino’s body, and the doctor who conducted the exam concluded that Lino’s death was caused by neuro-vascular trauma to the neck.
Police said that the body was found about 3 1/2 miles southwest of Progresso.