Family appeals on behalf of missing trucker
He has been missing for more than a month now but despite the disappointment of dead end leads and bureaucratic lethargy, the family of fifty-seven year old Orlando Bodden is still clinging to the hope that they will see their loved one again. Today frustrated family members told News 5 that in the past six weeks they have made numerous trips to law enforcement and diplomatic officials in Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico and even contacted Interpol in their desperate search to find out what happened to Bodden. A truck driver by trade, the Corozal man was hired to make a run from Puerto Barrios, Guatemala to Belize but after making a disturbing phone call to his brother, Bodden was never seen or heard from again. Tonight his family is once again appealing to the public for assistance. Bodden’s daughter, Lygia Castillo, says the family’s focus has been on trying to find the three Mexican men who were last seen with her father, but so far luck has not been on their side.
Lygia Castillo, Daughter of Missing Man
“I have reported to the Mexican authorities and they told me that they can’t locate them. The Mexican authorities promised me to see if they can work in conjunction with the Interpol, but they don’t have any result, everything is negative. The Interpol called me yesterday and told me all the results, everything is negative, we don’t have any leads.”
Janelle Chanona
“What about the owner of the vehicle that your dad was driving?”
Lygia Castillo
“The owner is my uncle. He is trying to do his best, but up to now he or whosoever can’t make any, any comments, because they don’t have any answers, so they can’t be certain about it.”
Janelle Chanona
“And the cargo he was transporting?”
Lygia Castillo
“We don’t know about the cargo, we don’t know what exactly was it, but we know that they were going to Puerto Barrios, but according to Puerto Barrios police they don’t have any place where they can go and load any alcohol for tequila.”
Renold Bodden, Brother of Missing Man
“We just want to know the truth. It’s a terrible thing when you don’t if your family member is alive, if your family member has died. We don’t know anything and that’s the hard part, because you feel guilty–if I’m here, if I’m laughing, if I?m having fun, I wonder where is my brother at, what is he doing right now, and I feel guilty for being happy for any moment. I just don’t want that to happen any more, we want to move on.”
The Belize Police Department has not become involved in the case because the alleged crime occurred outside of their jurisdiction. If you have any information that will help the Bodden family please contact Lygia at 422-0016, 422-0287, or 601-9177.
