ROARING CREEK, Cayo District, Tues. Mar. 20, 2018– The body of Alvin Montero, 23, who was reported missing on Sunday in Roaring Creek, was found floating in the Belize River at about 9:30 this morning. Montero, who is from Santa Elena, Cayo District, had moved to Roaring Creek from his hometown of Santa Elena to be the caretaker of a house in the Another World area of that village.

The body was found by two women who were part of a search party that were out looking for him. The women raised the alarm and they were heard by two men who were working in the area. The men went over to see what was happening and saw the body, floating face-up, in the water. Montero’s body was already in the initial stages of decomposition. His hands were tied behind him and there were chop wounds in the side of his head and neck, and on his body.

Some villagers believe that Montero was tortured before he was hacked to death. They believe that after killing him his killers burnt the house he was taking care of, and then they took his body down to the river and dumped it.

After Montero’s body was recovered, it was taken to an area on the Boom/Hattieville Road, Belize District, where an onsite post-mortem exam was carried out. At the conclusion of the autopsy, the doctor who conducted the exam declared that Montero’s death was caused by traumatic asphyxiation due to a chop wound to his throat. Montero’s body was then taken to his hometown, where he was buried.

Police said that a man has been detained pending investigation into the murder.