by Charles Gladden

COROZAL TOWN, Thurs. May 2, 2024

Approximately three months after Rosalito Pacheco, 57, a taxi operator of San Joaquin Village, Corozal Town, went missing earlier this year, his remains were found in Consejo Village.

Pacheco was last seen on January 31 when he departed from home to go on his usual runs in his gold Toyota Geo Prism, after receiving a call from an unknown person. He never returned home.

An official missing-person report was then filed with Corozal police the following day.

Later in February, three persons in the Fresh Pond area of Burrell Boom – a mother and her two sons – were charged with handling stolen goods, after Pacheco’s Geo Prism, with its license plate missing, was found in the yard at the residence of the family along with the keys to the car.

Despite the car’s discovery, Pacheco was not found in the area. That changed on Monday, April 29, when his remains, along with several items that belonged to Pacheco, were found in a shallow grave in Consejo.

Police’s investigation into the murder will be limited, since the person whom police had identified as a possible suspect in connection with the events that led to Pacheco’s disappearance (and death)—Cruz Castillo of Cotton Tree Village, was killed by police in early March of this year.

“He was a suspect; again, he is now deceased, so that is the closure for that,” said ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander of the Belize Police Department’s Eastern Division.

Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams then confirmed on Wednesday, May 1, that the police are confident that Castillo was the one who killed Pacheco.

“From all indications we have gathered, yes, he was responsible,” he said.

Regarding the three persons above who had his Geo Prism at their residence, ComPol Williams spoke little of it as the matter is before the court.