SANTA FAMILIA VILLAGE, Cayo District, Wed. Mar. 23, 2022– A 7-year-old girl lost her life on Monday afternoon while playing in the Belize River in Santa Familia Village. The child, Lucianny Rebecca Thompson, a student of Sacred Heart Primary School, had been left in the care of her “godmother”, a retired Canadian national who had been acquainted with her family for about two years, while her parents traveled to Belize City to visit the Vital Statistics Office. According to the girl’s mother, Marina Vidal, the child was left in the care of the Canadian woman, Mary Arnold, only because the woman had insisted that the young girl stay with her.
Vidal also stated that the child was not able to swim, and for that reason she had instructed Arnold (who had reportedly been paying Thompson’s school fees) not to take her to the river. Nevertheless, Arnold, with whom little Thompson had reportedly been staying since Sunday, took the child on Monday to play in the river.
According to the 25-year-old mother, it was while she and her husband were on their way back to Cayo that she received a call indicating that something was wrong. But it wasn’t until she arrived at Arnold’s home in Carmelita Gardens that she learned Thompson had drowned after being taken to the river, despite her instructions. Vidal found her daughter motionless and covered with a white sheet, near the river about one mile away from Arnold’s house.
According to Arnold’s account of what happened, the young girl had gone after a rubber toy that floated away from her when she was swept away by the current and ended up in deep water. Arnold claims that she attempted to rescue the child but was knocked over by the rapidly moving water several times. She said that when she realized that she wasn’t strong enough to save the child, she went to get help. But by that time, it was too late. Ultimately, a teenage boy reportedly retrieved the child from the water, and after an unsuccessful attempt at CPR, Thompson was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Those wishing to assist Thompson’s parents with funds to cover funeral and burial costs can contact them at 634 0992.