Teen returns – lies about being abducted

With parents all over Belize living in fear that their girls could at anytime be abducted, assaulted or worse, it is shocking to discover that once again a teenaged girl has runaway and then claimed she was kidnapped. The runaway, who was found today, first lied to her family and then the entire community when she repeated her story to a newspaper. Although the police see through such stories almost immediately, fake incidents certainly don’t help the efforts to encourage kids to “Watch yu back, anybody could be Jack.” News Five’s Janelle Chanona went back to Karen William’s house today to try and speak with her about why she left home and pretended she had been kidnapped, but she was still talking to police. We were able to talk with her mom.”

Janelle Chanona, Reporting

There were sighs of relief all over today at the news that 14-year-old Karen Williams had returned safely home. This latest incident was not the first time Karen had disappeared but it was definitely the longest. But now comes the hard part, finding out what kept Karen away from her family for four days. Dorla Matura, Karen’s mother, says she received a phone call yesterday from relatives in Corozal, telling her they had found Karen.

Dorla Matura, Mother

“When I went for she da Corozal, my son-in-law phone me and he tell me that he find Karen and then the police have her at the station. And I bring her home and took her to a doctor. The doctor kept her in for the overnight and examined her. He says Karen is still a little girl. She wasn’t with no boy or nothing like that.”

Matura tells us that Karen says she was kidnapped by three masked men near the Bel-China Bridge and only remembers waking up yesterday morning in a park in Corozal. This was the story she told to the Amandala newspaper. However that’s not the story Karen is telling police. Press Officer Christy Castillo says Karen says she had an argument with her parents and just wanted to get away. They confirm that she was not sexually abused. But with public concern at all time high about missing children reports, Karen’s little escapade is not sitting well with many. Especially since it was only a week ago, on March 10th, that another teen tried to get out of trouble by crying wolf. The 13-year-old from St. Mary’s initially claimed that she had been forced to get into a stranger’s car, taken to Lord’s Ridge Cemetery and then thrown out of the vehicle. But later, the teenager confessed that she had simply run away to spend the night with a male friend. Dorla Matura says her daughter is simply not happy with their living conditions and that’s why she runs away.

Dorla Matura

“Well I feel happy that nothing no happen to her. Because her problem that she tell me bout is that she would want her own room because it’s like from bed to floor. And she would like to have her own little room and that’s why she keeps going.”

Police say the Social Services Department will be working with the family and despite the fact that two girls have made up stories to stir up public sentiment, they will continue to take every missing child report seriously. It is not certain at this time whether Karen or the relatives that harbored her in Corozal will be charged with any wrongdoing.

Janelle Chanona for News Five.

Up until late this afternoon, Karen Williams was still being questioned by the Criminal Investigations Branch. Belize’s teens and children are asked to take issues like kidnapping and sexual assault seriously. Remember if you make up stories, people might not believe you if something bad really happens.