An Investigation into the Sudden Death of Keenan Young, 16

Keenan Young

A family is grieving the sudden death of a minor on Christmas Eve. They are now awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine the cause of death of sixteen-year-old Keenan Young, who began complaining of pain, following what the family says was a punch to his head two weeks before. Was the devastating blow to the face by Young’s older brother the reason he is now dead? That’s what the family wants to know. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.

Sherrilyn Oshon, Mother of Deceased

“Seventh of January, ih mi wah turn seventeen and ih rough because ih pa mi di wait because ih mi wah get ahn a truck, a dump truck, so ih rough, ih rough.”

Duane Moody, Reporting

Exactly two weeks before his birthday on January seventh, sixteen-year-old Keenan Young died on a hospital bed. The minor was admitted to the Belize Medical Associates on the morning of December twenty-fourth and within an hour, he was pronounced dead.

Sherrilyn Oshon

“The mawning about minutes to six, ih bawl out fi me but I neva hear ahn cause I just drop ina wah sleep. I say Keenan I di come right now. But while I di lay down, ih call ih pa and say “Daddy I done tell mommy mi belly di haat mi and she noh come.” His dad get off and call me and say Sherrilyn get mi son ready, I di come pick up ahn fi ker ahn back dah doctor.” I say come babe. We get ahn ready, I put ahn ina the vehicle because somebody come get ahn and ih pa receive ahn dah medical. Dah while working on Keenan, his dad say Keenan di tell dehn well I can’t feel from mi waist go down. He say Keenan kick the bed hard and he not even say ouch and dah while dehn di tend to he, ih pa say ih di fraught from through ih mouth and ih voice just gone. When I get there, Doctor Sosa say dah like dehn di tend to Keenan and Keenan just drop off of a cliff – buf dead. They have no idea weh gone on.”

A small swelling was visible on the left side of Young’s cheek. While a post-mortem will determine the cause of death, it is speculated that an incident back on December eighth involving Young and his older brother, Alex Neal, may be the cause. Young was reportedly knocked out by Neal at their father’s residence in Hattieville Village.

Sherrilyn Oshon

Sherrilyn Oshon

“Keenan called me the morning di cry. He said, “Ma, Alex just punch mi; ih buss mi mouth.” I ask ahn, “Keenan, weh yo tell Alex or weh yo do to alex make ih punch yo, buss yo mouth?” Ih say, Alex come ina di yard, take the shovel and di ker it and daddy mi done say nobody fi ker the shovel because the stick di bruk. And ih tell Alex yo can’t ker the shovel and he still insist di ker it. So he come downstairs and grab the shovel and ih grab Alex around ih heck. And Alex say ih tell Keenan let me go, let me go and Keenan neva want let ahn go and he end up the punch Keenan. But I neva know dah punch out cold di baby get, until Friday after my baby dead, then my son say “Ma, dah out cold Alex punch Keenan.”

Following the incident, Sherrilyn Oshon says her son has been back and forth to the hospital and complained of not feeling well, right up to the day of his passing.

Fitzroy Yearwood

ASP Fitzroy Yearwood, Communications Director, Belize Police Department

“He began to experience over the days, problems with pains to his stomach. He was admitted at the Belize Medical Associates and he was being attended to by doctors on Christmas Eve when became motionless. So of course the hospital authorities notified police because of the nature of his injury and the investigators picked it up from there.”

Sherrilyn Oshon

“I noh know how nothing no show up pan the x-ray or the cat-scan; I noh know. I noh know if ih mi di bleed inside of the head and the CT-scan noh pick it up or what. Keenan complain about neck pain. First ih eye start to swell, everything that took place di happen pan di left weh ih get hit. But I di say how after two weeks, yo eyes just di swell. And before mawning ih say, “Ma mi neck di haat me and I think I ketch stiff neck, yo know, and we di rub ih neck with the Mayan gel.”

But with the person presumably responsible for Young’s demise being a family member, Oshon says that the family is in a bind, while still wanting justice for the teen.

Sherrilyn Oshon

“Ih tear me up, ih tear mi up, ih tear me up because that dah my baby, that dah our baby and fi know that Alex dah wah professional fighter, he coulda mi think twice – I noh wah knock mi bredda because I know mi hand dah wah weapon. He coulda mi shub Keenan even though ih say Keenan grab ahn around ih throat, shub Keenan because we all know Keenan cannot beat you. I know ih pa say he noh want press charges cause he noh want di up and down and up and down and thing. I say I done put it ina God’s hand, but if the post-mortem reveal that dah because of the hit weh di baby take, he should be going to jail.”

ASP Fitzroy Yearwood

“We are not certain as yet what the charges will be if any will be levied against the brother, but based on the results of the post-mortem we will know which direction the investigation will go.”

Duane Moody for News Five.