Joseph Garbutt, 37, and his younger brother, Erleon Garbutt, 27, both fishermen of a Belize City residence, were reported missing since Sunday, 9, 2010, by Joseph’s common-law-wife, Gosephina Sho.
According to Sho, her husband and brother-in-law left for Roatan, Honduras around 4:00 a.m. on Sunday to buy a boat from Roatan.
Both Joseph and Erleon left Belize City in a 32-foot blue boat named “Rhea”, Marcela Garbutt, sister of both missing men, told KREM News on Wednesday, May, 12. She said that she made contact with friends in Honduras who confirmed that the Garbutt brothers had left en route to Belize City, around 4:00 p.m. that Sunday.
“One of them (Honduran friends) said that the boat was kind of leaking a bit,” Marcela said. “The family is just appealing to anybody that saw them . . . we don’t know if the boat sank or what . . . we don’t know what happened to them, they just vanished,” Marcela pleaded.
At press time tonight, Amandala learnt that Marcela had flown out to Roatan, Honduras yesterday, Wednesday, to meet with the coast guard in Honduras, but all efforts to locate the missing men have been to no avail thus far.
Thelma Johnson, 70, the mother of both Erleon and Joseph, spoke to Amandala as well, stating that “The Belize Coast Guard, along with the Honduras Coast Guard, are working together, they are searching their (Belize and Honduras) territorial waters and will meet up at a certain point to exchange information”.
Joseph is around 5 feet 6 inches, is clear-skinned and was last seen wearing a camouflage ¾ pants, a blue shirt, black cap (with initials “W/D”), a Natika brand wrist watch, a diamond design earring on the left ear. He also has a gold upper front tooth and has a tattoo of a .380 pistol.
Erleon was wearing a ¾ blue jeans pants and a T-shirt. He also has a tattoo, with the markings, “RIP Paul Garbutt” on the right shoulder.
The family of these two missing men are appealing to the general public to aid them in any way possible, and if anyone has information, to contact them at home # 203-4183 / cell # 625-0775.