What’s Russell Hyde’s Connection to Ongoing Spate of Murders in Roaring Creek?

As we said, Steven Hyde, the cousin of Russell Hyde, is the third victim in a recent string of murders that started with the fatal shooting of thirty-three year old, mother of three Roselia Galvez. Galvez was travelling in a Toyota truck on May seventeenth when she was shot to the head. She was sitting in the front passenger seat of the vehicle driven at the time by her common-law husband Russell; her children were also in the vehicle.  Galvez’s murder was followed by the gruesome murder of Edilberto Madrid, who was Russell’s personal aide. The body of Madrid was found in the Belize River near Young Gial Road off the Valley of Peace Road on Tuesday. Andrea Polanco revisits the murders of Galvez and Madrid.

Andrea Polanco, Reporting

The circumstances surrounding Steve Hyde’s murder are bizarre and sound oddly similar to that of twenty eight year old Edilberto Madrid. Madrid was a close associate of Russell Hyde. He went missing on Sunday morning after he left this shop to go over to his sister’s house a few yards away. Madrid never arrived that day. A search in the Young Gial Bank Road turned up a body butchered almost beyond recognition. Madrid’s head and limbs had been chopped off and he had been gutted. Only his tattoos helped his family to identify him when his body was fished out of the Belize River just below the Agripino Cawich Bridge. On Tuesday when we spoke with the family, they were inconsolable. They didn’t want to talk about how Madrid was killed.

Edilberto Madrid

Voice of: Julie Fernandez, Common-Law Wife of Edilberto Madrid [File: May 26^th, 2015]

“We went and we searched, searched, searched for about three hours and nothing. We decided to come back to the area where he went missing and we went along the river bank and that’s where we saw the white thing in the water stuck beside the branches. Body parts were missing. We only recognized him due to the tattoos on his body.”

Andrea Polanco

“Body parts, including his head?”

Voice of: Julie Fernandez

“Yes, ma’am.”

Andrea Polanco

“Was he found nude?”

Voice of: Julie Fernandez

“Yes. No, he wasn’t receiving any message. He was well known in the village. He is well known to everybody. He is honestly not a saint in the area. Everybody knows him. I know he personally has a lot of enemies but right now I can’t say anything about who would want to do this.”

Andrea Polanco

“When you heard that he went missing, did you ever think that this is what you would find today?”

Voice of: Julie Fernandez

“No, ma’am I never expect it that way.”

Andrea Polanco

“And you guys haven’t heard if it’s a retaliation for anything, or perhaps someone had beef with him? Anything at all?”

Voice of: Julie Fernandez

“No, ma’am not that I could say. Not that I could say. I know he had several run in with the law but that’s about it.”

Andrea Polanco

“Nothing that you’d think he would get killed over?”

Voice of: Julie Fernandez

“No, ma’am.”

Roselia Galvez

But who killed Madrid? Reports are that earlier today, some of his limbs and personal belongings were discovered near where his body was found. And while Belmopan Police have been mum on Madrid’s murder, we know that Russell Hyde has been detained for questioning since Tuesday. With several theories ventilated- Some said it was a message being sent; but, to whom? Was it to Russell Hyde? The notorious Roaring Creek Resident was in the news on Monday, May eighteenth after his wife; Roselia Galvez was fatally shot when she was travelling in this black pickup truck near the Guanacaste Park. A man came out of the bushes and fire multiple times- hitting Roselia to the head. When we spoke with Hyde just over a week ago, we asked him if the bullets were meant for him. He didn’t seem too sure, but he said it was a planned hit and he wasn’t seeking revenge.

Russell Hyde, Common-Law Husband of Roselia Galvez [File: May 18^th, 2015]

“I can’t say if dah fi me but the angle weh deh come pahn, deh nuh come pahn my side. Maybe it could be me. Maybe it could be she. But deh fire deh shot and deh kill somebody. Hopefully, deh could ketch up with the killa and let the police man do their job because I don’t have no job. I just want to peace. And let them to do their job. I don’t want to get involve. I will leave it to the almighty.”

Andrea Polanco

“And you guys didn’t get any threats? Any message?”

Russell Hyde

Russell Hyde

“Basically, I nuh get no threats. Nothing suh. That’s about it. I neva expect.”

Andrea Polanco

“Do you think they were waiting for you guys there? Someone must have known that you guys were passing by? I mean dah like deh lay wait unu?”

Russell Hyde

“I feel like somebody call from the entertainment spot and tell them I am leaving nuh.”

Andrea Polanco

“You guys didn’t see; I understand your sons were in the back of the truck. You guys didn’t see who the person was; I mean a description, anything?”

Russell Hyde

“Well, we get wah slight lee thing. Nothing really just wah slight lee glimpse.”

And so, it seems, Russell Hyde is the common factor in all these murders. Is it coincidence or is it a master plan by design? Is it just to target those closest to Hyde to cause him pain or are these killings a sign of his fate? Or, maybe there is something more sinister to these killings than we can presume? Perhaps, but only time will tell. Reporting for News Five, I am Andrea Polanco.

As we told you, Police are not providing any information on a possible connection between the murders of Galvez, Madrid and Steven, but sources tell us they do believe all three are related. Russell has been detained since the body of Madrid was found Tuesday, and again, reliable sources tell us that he is being considered a person of interest in at least two of the brutal murders.