Humberto Ramos is Murdered in Santa Cruz Village

Police are following all leads in the gruesome murder of Guatemalan national Humberto Ramos.  The caretaker was found dead inside a small wooden shed at his place of work in the village of Santa Cruz in southern Belize.  He had been chopped to the head and his body was found on a bed. There are indications that he knew his killer, but the motive for his murder remains unknown. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.

Duane Moody, Reporting

Who killed caretaker Humberto Ramos? The twenty-six-year-old lived in Santa Cruz Village on the Southern Highway and recently began working at Grace of God’s block factory in village.  But on Thursday morning, the Guatemalan national was found dead with large chop wounds to the head . He had been murdered inside this wooden shed on the company’s property where has been staying for the past two months.  His body was discovered on a bed by co-workers when they arrived at work around seven a.m. that morning.

Abner Mendez, Supervisor, Grace of God Block Factory

“In the morning when we come in to work, we mi di look fi di man, but we find the man dead in there. We noh know exactly what happen. He dah wah straight man. He noh no problem, just work every day. So we noh know weh happen.”

Duane Moody

“Tell me weh you see when unu gone inside?”

Abner Mendez

“Well we just find the man dead ina ih bed. All chop up so we noh understand weh di go on. Ih had two chop wounds ina ih head.”

Abner Mendez

Ramos only had a few relatives who lived in the village and this morning, they as well as the Supervisor Abner Mendez travelled to Independence Village where statements were taken by police investigators.

Duane Moody

“I understand the last time dehn see him alive dah when everybody left for the day on Wednesday.”

Voice of: Relative of Deceased [Translated]

“Yes something like that. I think everybody just left and go home cause everybody stop work five o’clock. After that we never see the man until next morning when dehn find him dead. He had been a couple months, I noh know the exact amount a time. But I know a couple months and we know the man dah straight man. He lives here on the property. He stay here and sleep cause he normally just rent ina di village and so instead of rent he just stay there and sleep there and noh pay no rent, just stay there.”

There were no signs of forced entry into the shed and it is believed that he knew his machete-wielding killer.

Duane Moody

“Did he ever complain that maybe somebody threatened his life?”

Abner Mendez

“No, so far we noh hear nothing. Like I tell you, he just come work, go inside, sleep, eat and we noh see the man around. No drinking, nothing. So we noh understand the situation weh di go on right yah.”

Duane Moody for News Five.