ST. MARGARET, Cayo District, Mon. Oct. 16, 2017–The worst has been confirmed in respect of the disappearance of Norwegian-Belizean businessman, Christoffer Roggema, 69.

On Friday, police confirmed that at around noon his body was found by a search party near the Sibun River in St. Margaret. There were no visible signs of foul play and police await the results of a post-mortem examination to assist in their investigations.

Our newspaper tried to get more information regarding exactly where the body was found, and in what condition, but the Police Press Office today responded that they have no information to give us.

Amandala had previously reported that just before midday on Monday of last week, the deceased and two other persons had gone to visit a property in the vicinity of St. Margaret, in the Cayo District, that he was interested in buying.

Roggema, it is reported, had been battling a severe case of the flu for some time, and his colleagues reportedly had tried to discourage him from conducting the business until he was fully recovered.

Roggema, however, we were told, insisted on accompanying his business associate and a land surveyor to the area. Sometime after he entered into some high bushes his condition deteriorated and he could not continue the hike.

As a result, the two other persons requested that he wait while they recovered their vehicle from the roadside to transport him home. When the men returned, about twenty minutes later, however, Roggema was nowhere to be found. They managed to reach him via cellphone, but the call dropped due to a poor signal.

A search party was formed, but they were unable to find Roggema until Friday when they made the sad discovery.

Roggema, who has been living in Belize for the last three decades, leaves behind six children in the United States. Notably, he was the owner of Cocoplum Garden Spa in Caye Caulker, and he was also a frequent contributor to our newspaper.