Abandoned youth searches for family
There is no shortage of unsolved mysteries in Belize. The list includes: who tortured and killed a half dozen Belize City girls? Whatever happened to the Garbutt family on the way to English Caye? And why is it that big time drug dealers never seem to get caught? But tonight we have a mystery story that will tear at your heartstrings…because the solution to the puzzle lies hidden somewhere deep in a young man’s mind.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
He is only known to the staff of the Dorothy Menzies Child Care Centre as Andrew. The young man came to the children’s home after police found him wandering the streets of Belize City. Today, the home needs your help in locating Andrew’s parents or relatives.
Sandra Carr, Foster Mother, Dorothy Menzies Child Care Centre
“Officers from the Department of Human Development, the Family Services, they have contacted all the different divisions in the districts, police and Human Development offices and up to now no one has been able to come up with a missing person etc. We’ve also taken the young man around to an area which we thought he came from, the St. Martin de Porres area and still no luck. He doesn’t seem to recognize any place around that area. We’ve taken him to Special Aid, Stella Maris to see if he was a student there at one point and none of the officers there, none of the teachers there recognized him.”
Andrew, who has been diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome, can only speak Spanish but because of his medical condition it is difficult to understand him. When Andrew was found on January 17th, several pesos were inside his pants pocket. Sandra Carr, who is the foster mother of the children’s home, says they do not know if he is from neighbouring Chetumal but it has been 5 months and no one has come forward to claim the boy.
Sandra Carr
“We would like to ask the public to really take a look at this child and remember if you have seen him somewhere or saw him around by that house or whatever.”
Andrew is described as a loving and friendly child.
Sandra Carr
“He is very helpful. He seems to have been around or lived with a family or people who he has assisted with work. If he sees you moving something, he right away readily gives a hand. He sometimes want to take out the basket with clothes and want to assist with hang them out, he would fold the shirts. Usually when the children have lunch, they would put on the shirts over their uniform and he would take it into his own hands to fold up those shirts and put them up neatly and if anybody want to rumple that up, they have to go through Andrew to do that.”
But as much as Andrew may feel at home, it is important that he is reunited with his family. If you have any idea who Andrew is, please contact the Dorothy Menzies Child Care Centre on St. Thomas Street at telephone number 35225.
Again, let me give you that number. It’s 02-35225. Please help Andrew to solve this mystery.
