A third minor slain; this victim, a resident of Ladyville

rene alfaro

There are two other murders to add to the grim statistics. At nine-thirty on Sunday morning, the body of a minor was discovered in a drain at Lord’s Bank. His head was wrapped with a red shirt and his feet were placed in a white nylon bag. Rene Alfaro was last seen on Saturday night when he helped to remove a vehicle in his neighborhood. Family members believe he was killed somewhere else and then dumped in front of his house. The young man earned a living by working many odd jobs, and from all accounts he was well liked. News Five’s Jose Sanchez reports.

Jose Sanchez, Reporting

The body of seventeen year old Rene Alfaro was found in a crocus sack on the Lord’s Bank Road in Ladyville. His family is still reeling because they can’t understand why anyone would want to kill him.

Aracelli Alfaro, Sister of Rene Alfaro

aracelli alfaro

“They shoot him in the head and then they dump ahn ina wah krukus bag and throw ahn right in front of the house like if he was a dog.”

Jose Sanchez

“I understand your brother was somebody that was liked in the community.”

Aracelli Alfaro

“Yes, everybody know ahn dah Ladyville. I mean if you ask him to do something, he will do it for you. A loving boy, loving to his nephews and to my kids. And to god, I honestly neva expect something like that to happen to my lee bredda. He dah no wah person weh deh ina gang violence or you coulda seh ih deh ina drugs. Ih seventeen years old, dah lee bwai noh go no way.  If he would go to Ladyville, hang with his friends and come home dah my ma. Ih dah noh wah lee boy you will find on the street.”

jose alfaro

Jose Alfaro, Father of Rene Alfaro

“I see my son. I feel it hard in my heart. The police say you know that bwai? I tell ahn that dah my son mien.”

Prior to his death on Saturday night, the youth assisted in moving a vehicle that was bogged in mud near his home.  His father believes, his attackers were next door, waiting for him up the stairs of a concrete building which is still under construction.

Jose Alfaro

“The man gone in the drain and ih car can’t go out. After this, my son mi done lie down ina ih bed and the sleep. Ih ma ask the question, who the car weh can’t come on. Ih she ma dah Felipe, he bring me. Ih ma she, the man done bring you, so go help the man come out the drain. I see three person right dah top of that house. I never conscious what the situation. I believe in mi heart that that boy mi di wait for my son right there. I feel how three person stay in that spot right there that same night. People watch me, what time we come what time we go. What time my son come. They take the bike so no one can go and report nothing. I believe that that boy right deh so kill my son.”

It is believed that the youth was taken elsewhere to be killed since no shots were heard in the area.  But in an unnecessary act of cruelty his killers dumped his body a few feet away from his home, where his family would surely find him.

Aracelli Alfaro

“All I want is the police to do everything they could fi my lee bredda because my lee bredda mi involved with the police—he was a voluntary person with the police. So all I want ask the police is to help ahn and find out who kill my lee bredda. All I want them to do is find the killer. Because it’s not fair they killed him like a dog and dash him in front of my ma house. It hurtful more. You find the body somewhere else, but no right dah the house. How you think my ma feel? That hurt my ma, all my family. It noh nice and I wouldn’t ah want that happen to nobody.”

The youth was not attending any classes and made a living by working for several shops in the area.  By all accounts he was well liked, and a few years ago, Karina Villanueva, the owner of Karina’s Coolspot, offered to adopt him.

karina villanueva

Karina Villanueva, Owner Karina’s Cool Spot

“He was fourteen when he started to work with me. I told him, you know what, you are under age. I had one child. I told him maybe he would want me to adopt him. And maybe I could have more power to tell him what to do. He said like yeah you woulda want adopt me and he laughed. I said of course, I don’t see why not. And that was the gossip that I wanted to adopt him and he liked the idea. I wanted him to do something positive. But Rene was a really shy person. A nice young person, who was trying to do something with his life. He came and asked if I wanted help. He was doing a very good job for the beginning and then he said he wanted to go to school—to do mechanic stuff and things like that. So, we went and checked at CET in Belize City. We got the paperwork going and he didn’t show up. He started to hang with a crowd here in Ladyville. I saw him get into a fight here in Ladyville. I asked him what’s wrong. He said everything was fine. He got out of hand after that. He got a part time job at the police station. They wanted to help him cause he was willing to do better for himself.”

The Officer Commanding the Ladyville Police Formation, Calbert Flowers, has confirmed that Alfaro did hang around the stationhouse a few times. But he didn’t work there and he was not a special constable as he told his friends. In retrospect, peer pressure may have had a hand in his death.

Karina Villanueva

“I think peer pressure. We noh realize how hard life out there for our kids especially teenagers and that’s how come they get involved in liquor, alcohol and violence. We as parents need to look into that. Ask the teachers because something the kids they lie. It’s hard to believe. This problem wake up parents. This is a kid, and because of the wrong crowd. He was in a group of gangsters. I don’t know how involved he was with them. Maybe he went to them to find help because of bullies and peer pressure. I know for a fact he had problems with some kids and maybe he was trying to find help.”

Aracelli Alfaro

“That’s all I want—Justice. I know the person who did it is out there freely the laugh bout it maybe, but I know he free because they noh find him yet.”

The family’s cry for justice now joins the solemn chorus echoed by other relatives of murder victims. Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.

Alfaro’s body was transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Morgue.  The post mortem examination results show that the cause of death was traumatic shock due to severe brain damage caused by a single gunshot wound.