Missing U.S. woman was fearful of husband

There is no shortage of missing persons in Belize, but most eventually find their way home to a concerned family. A tiny minority of the missing, however, are never found–and as we know too well–a tragic few are added to our growing list of murder victims. Fortunately, the missing person described in our next story is not among the dead… but she may have come close.

Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Seventy-four year old Myrtle Roloff Crawford, a U.S. citizen long resident in Belize, was last seen on Friday, July twenty-second. Almost two weeks later, Crawford?s neighbours and associates are concerned about her safety.

Helen Villa, Neighbour
?Well she is somebody that?s always in her home; sits right there and looks through that window. She is never out of the house besides in the van when she gets a call to go. She is never out and only if she gets a call, she gets in that van and she moves. ?

Ervin Milligan, Chairman, Sand Hill Village
?If it would be one or two days then maybe we can overlook it, but after eight days it is getting very curious now, nobody does not see her again, she does not even come to the home again and that is where she lives. So basically everybody is really concern now because the fact is that we are maybe looking at something really serious happen to the lady.?

Sources tell News Five that sometime before Crawford disappeared, she appeared scared and that on at least one occasion she was allegedly beaten by her husband Norman Crawford, a Belizean fisherman believed to be in his thirties. Myrtle reportedly took the matter to court, but she later dropped the charges. This morning Ladyville police detained Norman for questioning.

Ervin Milligan, Chairman, Sandhill Village
?I was talking to a friend this morning and she was also concerned because she always see her and for the past days she has not seen her. So she was trying to gather information of her location or her whereabouts, so it is something that everybody, like I said, is really and truly concerned about.?

Late this evening, News Five was informed by police that Myrtle Roloff Crawford has been found alive and well. Police would not say where she has spent the last two weeks, but preliminary investigations have revealed that she may have been in hiding out of fear for her life. Norman Crawford has been married previously, also to an elderly American woman. Several years ago Crawford’s wife was found dead hanging from the ceiling of their house. The death was ruled a suicide.