BELIZE CITY, Fri. Dec. 22, 2017– The Faye Lin Cannon saga continues to unfold. This time, however, there is some positive news to report. The Belize City Family Court on Wednesday granted David Cannon full custody of Faye’s other sisters: Zoe, Mia and Siri.
David Cannon, the adoptive father of the children, had been before the courts battling for custody since July, when the children were handed over to the Belize Human Services Department after Faye Lin Cannon, only thirteen years old, was found dead inside her bedroom on July 3rd. Prior to Faye’s death, the children were living in San Pedro with their adoptive mother, Anke Doehm (Cannon’s ex-wife), and Anke’s husband, David Doehm.
The Doehms were both arrested and charged after a postmortem examination revealed that Faye had been physically and sexually abused.
The San Pedro Sun reported that David Cannon, who resides in the United States of America, rushed to Belize as soon as he heard of Faye’s tragic death. Following the ruling, he told the San Pedro Sun, “I am very happy with the ruling.” He added, “I think the judge, based on overwhelming evidence, made the decision that is in the best interest of my daughters that I should be awarded legal custody and they should live with me in the U.S.” According to Cannon, he and the children would be home in the US before Christmas.
The San Pedro Sun notes that the custody case had been adjourned until Tuesday, December 12th, after Anke Doehm’s Social Inquiry Report (a report which evaluates the living conditions of persons and determines if they have a proper living facility fit for children), was missing. David had satisfied the requirements, while Anke had not.
While David has closed a chapter of his life, Anke Doehm must still face trial in Belize’s courts. She is scheduled to return to court next February to face charges of “Cruelty to a Child.”
She had initially been charged with this offence on July 12th along with her husband, David Doehm. They were both remanded to the Belize Central Prison but were later released on a $10,000 bail.
Thereafter, they relocated to Belize City for their safety (since the residents of San Pedro had protested their presence on the island), but on October 5th David Doehm was found dead inside a hotel room in Belize City. Police classified his death as suicide.