Domestic Violence Claims Another Life

Merlin Elizabeth Herrera Mejia

The details of the latest murder in Belize City are all-too-familiar and tragic. The life of a young woman, a mother of a four year old son, was taken in a most vicious way in another case of domestic violence. The lifeless body of Merlin Elizabeth Herrera Mejia was found with her throat slit inside the apartment she had moved merely one week ago. Her ex-husband is the prime suspect and police are looking for him. Family members say the relationship between Herrera   and Ulysis Mayorga has a troubled history of violence, but there are no known reports to the police. Duane Moody reports.

Duane Moody, Reporting

Just after six this morning, the lifeless body of a young woman was discovered inside her apartment on Morning Glory Street behind the Belize Water Services Limited in Belize City. Twenty-one year old Merlin Elizabeth Herrera Mejia was found with her throat slit and a cut wound behind the left ear. The Salvadoran national, who worked as a janitor, has been living in Belize for four years and it is not sure whether she was killed in front of her four year old son. Today, as neighbors gathered outside the apartment shocked, her mother stood crying.

Maria Dora Alas de Mejia, Mother of Murder Victim (Translated)

“They slit her throat and she was in the room dead. But the landlady is saying that the only person she saw entering the room was her husband to bring the baby and that she didn’t hear anything since she was upstairs sleeping. She never heard anything.”

Police arrived on the scene shortly after six today; her four year old son was nowhere to be found.

Alejandro Cowo

Insp. Alejandro Cowo, CIB, Precinct 1 & 2, Belize City Police

“Police visited number 4533; it is a cement structure building. Police went inside a room where they saw the lifeless body of a female descent person. She was identified as Merlin Elizabeth Herrera Mejia, a twenty-one Salvadoran national, cleaner of that same address. Police observed on her two large cut wounds to the neck and one behind the left ear.”

According to Maria Dora Alas de Mejia, her daughter just recently moved to the apartment after she broke up with her husband, Honduran national Ulysis Mayorga.  Merlin was living at the apartment about a week before she was murdered. Alas de Mejia says that, Mayorga called her last night saying that her daughter was drunk and that he was going to take the baby to his house. While Alas de Mejia would not finger Mayorga as the killer, she believes he was the last person to see her alive.

Maria Dora Alas de Mejia

Maria Dora Alas de Mejia (Translated)

“When we came to Belize, she got married with that guy and it’s been four years of marriage and she left him and she came renting at this apartment. I don’t know what happened because I did not see…it occurred in the night. I don’t know if he was here at midnight when he called me on the phone. He told me that she was very drunk and that he will take the baby. And I told him if that’s the case, take the kid then. But I don’t know. I didn’t see if he did it.  I don’t know because I didn’t see so I can’t accuse him. The only thing is that it has been two weeks since they broke out and she moved here. One week she was at home with and then one week she has been living at her apartment so it’s been like one week. They weren’t together anymore and she left him because he kept beating her and abusing her. That’s what she told me.”

This morning, the four year old son was dropped off at his grandmother’s house by Mayorga. As to a motive, police believe that it is yet another case of domestic violence turned murder. Officer in Charge of CIB for the regional south division, Inspector Alejandro Cowo, say that Mayorga is wanted for questioning in the homicide and that he has still not been located.

Insp. Alejandro Cowo

“We suspect that it is a family dispute, domestic dispute. At this moment, police is seeking the common law husband, Ulysis Manuel Mayorga, a Honduran national.”

Reporter

“Have you all been receiving any reports of any domestic disputes within this family before?”

Insp. Alejandro Cowo

“Not at all…none at this moment. As far as we know, they were living together but they had separated some time ago and that he was still frequenting that location where they body was found this morning. That is all that I can tell you at this time. We still believe that he is here in the city. We had received some information and we acted on that information, but unfortunately he was not at the location. We have sent all formation messages and at the border points and we have informed all our persons conducting check points in the area to be on the lookout for this person; he can assist us in the investigation at this time.”

Alas de Mejia says she wants justice.

Maria Dora Alas de Mejia (Translated)

“What I want is for the police to do an investigation. If he is responsible that they arrest him, but if not, I want them to do a proper investigation because I don’t want that anyone is accused of killing my daughter, when someone else did. I need the police to find out who did it.”

A murder weapon has not been recovered. Duane Moody for News Five.

This evening, the National Women’s Commission condemned the vicious series of gender-based violence pointing out that four women have been murdered in the month of July due to domestic violence.  Labor Officer, Juana Cardinez and Customs Officer, Keisha Buller were stabbed to death allegedly at the hands of their partners, while Maria Pech was allegedly set on fire by her husband, but luckily survived the violence.