VALLEY OF PEACE, Cayo District, Sun. Mar. 3, 2019– The search for Joan Sharen Gabourel, 18, a domestic of Valley of Peace, came to a sad conclusion at about 1:30 yesterday afternoon in her home village. Her decomposing body was found in a cane field north of the village by a search party after she was reported missing on Thursday.
Police said that about 8:00 Tuesday night, Gabourel left home to go a friend’s house, and subsequently disappeared.
The stench that permeated the environment led the searchers to an area where she was found, reportedly in the nude.
Reports to us by police are that the body was recovered from the cane field and taken to the Medical College on the Boom/Hattieville Road in Ladyville, Belize District, where a post-mortem was conducted.
At the conclusion of the exam, the doctor certified that Gabourel’s death was caused by multiple stab wounds to the chest, a chop wound to the head and blunt force trauma to the face.
After the autopsy, Gabourel’s remains were taken back to her village, where she was buried immediately last night in the village cemetery.
Her family told police that on Tuesday evening, Gabourel had told them that she was going to her friend’s house and left, but when she did not return, they became worried and went to look for her and that was when they were told that she had not arrived at her friend’s house, and had not been seen.
The death has been ruled a murder and police have begun an investigation into the incident.