Police say “abduction” really wasn’t

Police say they do not believe that a fifteen-year old girl who is being reported in the media as kidnapped was forcibly taken against her will. Instead police say their investigation has revealed that the girl knows the eighteen-year old Jacoba Correa, the man whom the family is alleging abducted the minor. Initial reports are that sometime between 9:00 and 10:00 Sunday morning, the girl, who was in the company of her cousin, was on her way to a shop on Sarstoon Street, when a car pulled up. The cousin told police that first there was a struggle between the minor and Correa. Correa, it is alleged then grabbed the girl and drove away. Today, P.C Fitzroy Yearwood, Acting Police Press Officer, told News Five that the struggle was between the cousin and Correa and that it is not the first time that the minor has run away from home. Yearwood believes Correa and the minor are somewhere in the Corozal district.

P.C Fitzroy Yearwood, Acting Police Press Officer

“The police were misinformed and so was the media when they reported this kidnapping. While in reality they knew who this person…this young lady was with because this young lady ran away on Thursday with this same young man. They went to Chetumal, we don’t know what inspired there, but they came back and she was with this man for three to four days. Then on Sunday, they took off again together. The disturbing thing is that it is being reported over and over that there was a struggle between this young lady and this young man. We want to assure you that there wasn’t any struggle between that young lady, the fifteen year old, and the young man, but rather with the relative of this fifteen-year old and the young man. I can assure you that the Belize City police and the Corozal police are working around the clock. They have made several checks at this young lady’s house in Corozal, we’ve made checks at the young man’s house and as soon as we discover anything, the public will be the first to know.”

Jacqueline Woods

“So this is just another runaway case?”

P.C Fitzroy Yearwood

“This is a runaway, this is not a kidnapping like it is alleged to be. The thing is that this young girl ranaway on Thursday and it was not reported to the police and this relative blew it out of proportion on Sunday, knowing that this young lady had an affair with this same person they alleged abducted her.”

When News Five contacted a family member, he told us that despite what the police say, they maintain the minor was kidnapped. He also told News Five that late this afternoon, they received a call from Correa’s father, who apologised for his son’s action and then gave them an address where they can go and pick up the young girl. At that time we spoke with the family member, he said they were on their way to pick up the minor.