Murder victim’s neighbor is also reported missing
American national Dennis Waltz, 77, was found slaughtered in his garage located just outside Sarteneja Village in Corozal last Friday, March 28, and when Amandala sought to get an update into the investigations today, Corozal police told us that they are still trying to unravel the circumstances surrounding the mysterious murder of Waltz, as well as the disappearance of one of Waltz’s neighbors, whose sailing boat was reportedly found capsized in the area of Consejo Shores, also in Corozal.
We understand that a team of investigators has been dispatched to the village and are currently gathering further evidence from the scene of the crime, on the outskirts of the coastal community.
At present, the solving of Waltz’s murder is at an impasse, given that police do not currently have any suspects in custody, no known motive has yet been established, the murder weapon has not been found and they have not been able to locate his missing neighbor, who has also been tabbed as a person of interest in relation to the murder.
The Deputy Officer in Charge of the Corozal Police Formation, ASP Daniel Arzu, informed Amandala that two persons were initially detained for questioning, but those persons have since been released.
He explained that investigators are still working on finding a motive for the crime, which is presently under intensive investigation.
While conducting checks on Waltz’s neighbor’s vessel, police reportedly came across (22) .44 live rounds of ammunition which, we understand, will be examined to confirm if they are consistent with the ones extracted from Waltz’s body.
Although ASP Arzu mentioned that no connections have since been made between the two incidents, Waltz’s murder comes as a surprise to Sarteneja villagers because his neighbors said that he didn’t have any reputation of being a troublemaker in the community.
His neighbors discovered the elderly man’s lifeless body last Friday, March 28, after they went searching for him when they realized that he was missing for at least a day and a half.
As we reported on Monday, they found his motorcycle outside the village earlier in the day, and upon visiting his warehouse, they detected a foul smell which aroused their suspicions, after which police were called, and when the warehouse entrance was pried open, Waltz’s partially decomposed body was found on the ground. He had suffered gunshots to the chest, mouth, and the top of his head.
The identity of the missing neighbor remains withheld as police continue their investigation.