Miguel Martinez, 31, of San Pedro Town, died while in the custody of San Pedro police. At around 5:00 this morning, he was seen lying motionless on the floor in the holding cell.
Reportedly, Martinez was detained after complaints at a resort that he was armed with a machete and behaving disorderly.
According to police, even after being put in the holding cell, Martinez continued to misbehave, making noise, but that shortly afterward the noise subsided.
When police checked, they noticed that he was unresponsive and so they called a doctor, but it was of to avail, since it appeared that Martinez was already dead.
And while police have given their accounts of the incident, the family is upset and puzzled about his sudden death. They are not buying what police are saying, and they believe that the police have a case to answer.
According to Emmanuel Diego, Martinez’s step-father, Martinez was not known to suffer from any sickness. Diego said that Sunday was the last time he spoke to Martinez, and he appeared well.
San Pedro police wouldn’t speak about the incident, and Martinez has since been transported to Belize City for a post-mortem.