CAYE LAGOS, Belize District, Mon. Apr. 16, 2018– Two friends, Mark Seawell, 47, a boat captain of Pigeon Street, Ladyville, and Gabriel Escalante, 42, a caretaker of Poinsettia Street, Ladyville, who were caretakers of a 3-flat house owned by Byron Martin, were the victims in a double murder that occurred at about 2:00 Friday morning on Caye Lagos, a small caye situated about 4 miles south of Caye Caulker in the Belize District.
The two friends, who were working as caretakers on the small caye, were both shot and killed by a gunman who was posing as their friend. After executing the men, the killer got away from the island in a boat belonging to the owner of the caye.
Witnesses who saw the man speeding away in a boat after committing the crimes, called the police.
Police said that when they arrived at the caye, they saw Seawell and Escalante already dead. Seawell had gunshot wounds to his abdomen and chest, and Escalante had gunshot wounds to his neck, head, and upper back.
Reports are that on Thursday night, Seawell and Escalante were socializing on the third floor of a three-flat building on the caye with a man whom they knew. Shortly after, when Escalante went downstairs to his room, the man pulled out a gun and killed Seawell.
The man then went downstairs to Escalante’s room and shot and killed him.
During the weekly Monday police press brief held this morning at the Raccoon Street Police Station, Inspector Wilfred Ferufino, Deputy Commander of Crimes Investigation, said that the Coast Guard and police were sent to recover a boat that was found on one of the nearby islands, and after doing so, they should be able to verify if it is the one that was used by the killer to escape from Caye Lagos.
Police said that the motive for the murder is not known. They say robbery is unlikely because they have no reports of anything being stolen from the house.
But police say that they are seeking a man who they believe can help the investigation.
Fishermen and people working on the island say that Seawell, who had been working on the island for about 8 years, and Escalante, who had been working on the island for about 3 years, were very friendly people.
