_{Photo: Leonard Baltazar, deceased}

by Charles Gladden

BELIZE CITY, Wed. Dec. 11, 2024

A young fisherman who was allegedly found stealing from a sleeping tourist early on Wednesday morning, December 11, was reportedly thrown off a balcony to his death at one of the cabanas of Reef n Lodge Cabanas in Tobacco Caye.

According to initial reports, after 2:00 a.m. that Wednesday, two tourists were awakened by an unknown sound inside their room. When they investigated the source of the sound, they allegedly caught 22-year-old Leonard Baltazar, also known as “Uzi” of Dangriga Town, going through their belongings.

This discovery resulted in a physical struggle between one of the tourists and Baltazar, and during that struggle he was thrown over the balcony, which caused his untimely death.

Dangriga police were notified around 3:00 a.m., and on arriving at the scene, they saw a motionless Baltazar lying in a face-down position near the cabana that he had allegedly entered to rob the tourists.

He was then transported to the Southern Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. It is unclear whether charges will be pressed against the tourist, and it is not currently known whether Baltazar was intentionally thrown off the balcony or it was an accident. Police continue to investigate.