Did the Hungry Monkey entrepreneur take his own life?
mario varacalli
A businessman, the co-owner of the Hungry Money located on North Front Street, was found lifeless when the restaurant opened for business this morning. His body was found on a chair with financial documents nearby. Business was not doing well and bills were mounting. Employees report that Mario Varacalli had said he intended to take his own life, but was not taken seriously. News Five’s Isani Cayetano and Jose Sanchez worked on this story.
Jose Sanchez, Reporting
Hungry Monkey on North Front Street opened to much fanfare as an outlet of a sub-sandwich business that was first established on San Pedro. Though it was opened on February First, five months later, the co-owner of the business, Mario Varacalli committed suicide inside the business. One of the employees found his body inside the establishment this morning.
Voice of: Esther Gillett, Manager/Supervisor, Hungry Monkey
“When I came in this morning I saw my boss laying down where he usually is when he stays here in the night. I went to the back and I opened the shutters and I came back. But I saw that he didn’t move. So I went towards him but as I was approaching him, I looked at this feet and saw that his feet was dark in color. So I looked up at his chest and noticed that he wasn’t breathing. I went outside to find somebody to see if everything was okay with him. So I went and found this man that usually help me every morning. He went and he checked the body and said yes, he’s cold. He looks like he’s dead. So I got on the phone and I called 911 and then the police came and viewed the body and said he was deceased.”
Esther Gillett then called Rosalle Varacalli to inform her that her husband had left her behind. She was distraught when she showed up to identify his body at the business that they worked so hard to establish. Economic hard times may have played a role in the death. The sandwiches were priced higher than similar establishments. Varacalli also had to pay nine employees. Business was not brisk and that may have been too much for the Canadian national to handle.
Isani Cayetano
“How long has this place been in business?”
Voice of: Esther Gillett
“Eight months.”
Isani Cayetano
“What was business like for your employer?”
Voice of: Esther Gillett
“It was good off and on but we had a little problem financially but it was picking up here and there.”
Isani Cayetano
“Did he indicate to you at any time he had suicidal thoughts, he had plans on taking his own life?”
Voice of: Esther Gillett
“He said it to us outside yesterday, in a joking way and we started to laugh. I didn’t take it serious. He asked yesterday when I was leaving to close up five o’ clock because we didn’t have any business. He asked me if I could come back and bring him something to drink. He was giving me twenty-four dollars and I told him if I’m coming back then I’m going to get it at the Chiney and bring it for him. I didn’t come back and he text me about six-thirty saying that he knows that I’m not coming back but he’s locked in and he wants something to drink and he can’t come out. I didn’t answer the text. Twelve o’clock he text me and in the text he said—I can’t mention that part because he asked me please—just bring him a cup of coffee and he will see me here tomorrow. So when I got here I didn’t expect what I saw this morning.”
Isani Cayetano
“Did anyone else know of his intention to kill himself?
Voice of: Esther Gillett
“I talked to his friends a couple minutes ago, a lady Carol from San Pedro and she said he talked to her last night and he told her that was what he was going to do. I don’t know why someone neva come out and seh something or at least try go do something.”
Gillett said friends and employees were aware of his intentions.
Voice of: Esther Gillett
“When he came yesterday he looked different from normal. I even looked at him and said “Mr. Mario, you’re my boss but you look like shit”. So ih seh “and I feel like shit”. We sit outside, we neva had no customer; nobody neva mi di come in. I even said to him Mr. Mario when you come here it’s bad luck. We have no business. He said to me and my nephew and the next guy, you’re not going to see me again.”
Unfortunately neither will his wife get to see him alive again. Empty chairs remain where the couple once filled with customers. It is not yet known if Mrs. Varacalli will keep the business open. Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.
Varacalli reportedly ingested an overdose of medication. The cause of death will be determined when a post mortem is be conducted.
This story is very sad. It tells the story of how hard life in Belize is during these times. But when we have a Prime Minister and wife that flaunt their wealth in the manner they do; leaving young impressionable Belizean believing wealth equates to happiness what do you expect! for example pictures circulating with Mrs. Barrow and young BelizeanAmerican women in Miami Beach shows her posing with a $40,000US Hermes handbag. Not to mention the fact that PM Barrow earned his millions representing Ascroft, who he now blames for exploiting and taking advantage of the Belizean people. Belizeans need to wake up and realize their PM and wife are only interested in promoting themselves in the international social stage. They don’t give a rats … about, or any empathy for the struggles the Belizean people are experiencing!
Can I ask why does mrs. Barrow find the need to post a prayer on the internet …I mean really if one is sincere and authentic…pray…no need to post it on the internet for the whole world to know she prays…so fake.. and so sad for Belizean!
Must be a tough situation to find yourself in. He took the wrong way out of it. My sympathies to his wife and family
This is tragic and sad yet a very selfish act Mr. Varacalli did. People need to realize that the only thing that is constant is change. Change is inevitable! Life is not static. People come and go. Children grow up. Jobs disappear. Money gets lost. Health disintegrates. CHANGE HAPPENS! Most people do not handle change well. As these changes happen, your foundations may be shaken. People start questioning God and his Love. Believing in God’s love must become a non-negotiable principle in your life. You must believe in it even if you don’t feel it. The “feeling” of God’s love may be difficult to find in the hard times when emotions and bills run high and fear and loneliness lurks in your heart. May God have mercy on his soul and may God be with his family!~Tee
I wish they wouldn’t allow us to comment on these sensitive stories.
my condolence to his wife in grieve and hopefully she can get back to her normal life with God’s help. it’s pity he left this world in a way that he thought theres no remedy to the loss in business, it’s frustrating i say since as a manager it’s hard for me even to lay off a worker when every body is striving to survive these hard time. many times i go home with head headaches wondering if we’ll sell something tomorrow so the workers can have something to do, but thanks God he always have provided and we’re going like a turtle pace but with the mind of striving everyday. Hope the workers from this fast food place can find a new jod to help their families.
CONCERNED>. u are like Barack.. CHANGE WE CAN, CHANGE WE MUST!
First off, these foreigners come to belize thinking things are bright here.. and they can do as they please without having to study the economical trends of Belize. It’s not the same.. we do not have the volume of travelers and ppl in san pedro (the san pedranos) prefer to buy a 4 dollar beer over a 15 dollar sandwich.. so.. it’s their fault they didn’t do their home work right.. crazy canuks! sympathy to the family..
So sad that he couldn’t find anyway out and this was his only alternative. Hope God comforts his family in this terrible time. Only he knew what he was going through we can only assume.
This is so sad. I do wonder how the employee feels. Her boss tells her that there is something he wants to talk about or discuss with her and alludes to the fact that he is having problems, and she totally blew him off. What kind of human being ignores such an obvious cry for help? Who knows, perhaps he only needed to vent his frustration and have someone listen to him. Who knows if that would have stopped him from committing suicide, if he did commit suicide!
My condolence to you MS. Vicky, Samuel and JORDAN:
I will really miss him! no matter what he was a very nice and friendly person. Mario wherever you are may god bless you and REST IN PEACE! you will be missed…
‘i agree with u fatima in any country we elect govt’s to lead us into prosperity, and with the dean barrow administration we are going bakwards,only his family members- wife ,EX WIFE lois young barrow,anwar barrow,deane barrow the esquivels VEGAS, and his other cronies are getting rich every day,riding with fancy new vehicles ,while the belizean people are suffering out there,its the second suicide of a hardworking belizean that has taken his life ,before it was mr ayuso\past UDP SENATOR, that killed HIMSELF afew months ago because he could’t pay his bills! thats very sad whatz going on in our country .INVESTORS NEED TO TAKE THERE INVESTMENT OUT OF BELIZE BECAUSE WE ALSO AS BELIZEANS DON’T HAVE THE CONFIDENCE IN OUR COUNTRY anymore especially with the dean barrow gov’t HE’S A DICTATOR.
I am reading the story, Can’t you realized that the man was locked he text his employee several times they did not reply he could not go out of the building, he was depress and apart from that not even his employee could assist them, why? because after 6′ oclock and not getting pay over time they do not care about anything, that man must have had a panick attack by being locked up and depress, if she would have replied to the text, maybe she would had been there to avoid something, what kind of employee tell their boss that they look like ….! worse being depress and apart from that she still tells the man that he is bad luck to the business,,,,,boy sometimes you do not know if you have an employee as your worse enemy.
do you guys think that if he wanted to kill himself he was going to be texting his employee several times for a drink?
Who knows maybe the employee went to give him his drink and put something on his drink….who knows.
sorry to say this but hards time really don’t should’nt cause people to commit suicide, it beyond this,
most people who commit suicide are mentally ill, if hard time would the the blaming factor you know how many Belizeans would be dead by now,
He definatley had some other problem that was bothering him, and beside he use to sell his food too high, prices were above the normal, see he was taking advanteges of the people too.