The newly developed Kontiki area, Cayo District, was the scene from which police had to remove the body of Maritza Santos, 19, after she was found dead inside the home of her boyfriend, a well-known resident of Cayo District, Michael Silva, 26.
Silva, the son of the former Minister of Agriculture, Daniel Silva, was himself rushed to the hospital before police arrived on the scene, after reportedly having drunk a herbicide.
San Ignacio police told us that they were called to Silva’s residence on Friday, September 23, about 7:10 p.m., where they found Santos’ body in one of the bedrooms of the 2-storey house. The police told us that by the time they had reached the residence, which Silva rents and in which he was living alone, Silva was not there, having been rushed to the Belize Health Care Partners by his parents.
The last report we received on Silva’s condition was yesterday, Wednesday, September 28, at which point he reportedly remained in a critical condition at the hospital.
A police press release issued on Tuesday, September 27, stated that the police found Santos with a large wound to the right side of her forehead; the release also noted that there was also a pillow covering her face at the time and that blood was seen coming from her head.
The Deputy Officer Commanding the San Ignacio Police Formation, Claudio Mai, told us on Tuesday that he could not comment on whether any weapons were found at the scene.
The police said, in their release, that they observed a quart of Pro Quos 20Sc herbicide and nine slips of paper with notes on it inside Silva’s kitchen
Santos, a resident of the Hill View Area of Cayo District, had just recently graduated from Eden Seventh Day Adventist High School and had shared plans with her family to further her education. Santos, who has a twin, had been dating Silva for a little more than a month.
We spoke with Santos’ older sister, Nursli Santos, 21, on Tuesday, who told us that the last time she saw Maritza was on Thursday, September 22, and that she had been noticing that her sister was not herself and seemed troubled.
Nursli told us that Maritza lived at the family home but had been spending a large amount of time with her new boyfriend, Silva.
Nursli told us in an interview, “She kept texting me telling me how much she missed me, and that she loved me.”
Nursli also told us that Maritza, on Thursday, told her that she had something very important to tell her and that a lot of things had been going on, but due to the presence of Silva, she could not speak freely.
“That day she was very sad and she told me that she had many things to tell,” said Nursli.
Nursli told us that she does not know how they will deal with this unexpected loss, since her sister meant so much to the entire family.
“It’s sad for the family and her friends; she was very attentive, loving and caring; she meant everything to us,” said Nursli.
At the time of the interview, Maritza’s twin sister, who is pregnant, arrived at the residence with her husband; she was overwhelmed with emotion and had to retreat into private quarters.
Police have not yet officially charged Silva, since he is still receiving treatment at the hospital.
According to other reports that surfaced during our interviews on Tuesday with immediate neighbors and a friend from Silva and Santos’ circle, the two had engaged in a relationship despite Silva being married.
Further unconfirmed information to us was that Silva’s family — his wife and children — had been residing with him at the Kontiki residence, the same house from which Santos’ body was retrieved, but they had left when they learned of his affair with Santos.
The post-mortem conducted on Santos’ body was done yesterday, and today, the doctor “certified the cause of death to be ‘massive sub arachnoid hemorrhage due to injuries by a blunt object’.”