In Roaring Creek, Alvin Montero Meets Gruesome End

Alvin Montero

The seventh murder since Friday evening occurred in Roaring Creek, Cayo District.  A body was retrieved from the river in the village this morning after it was spotted by women heading to the river bank. It is now confirmed that twenty-four-year-old Alvin Montero was murdered and his body dumped in the water. There were cut wounds to the neck and right side of the head and his burial was quick. The house he had recently moved into in the village was set on fire and the last time he was seen alive was on Saturday. One person is being questioned by the police.  News Five’s Duane Moody reports.

Duane Moody, Reporting

Around three o’clock on Sunday morning a fire gutted a wooden house in an isolated area of Roaring Creek Village. It was home, at least for some months, to twenty-four-year-old Alvin Montero, a San Ignacio laborer who had relocated to the village. But although his home and bicycle went up in flames, Montero had not been seen or heard from. In fact, he was only reported missing by his sister on Monday after attempts to contact him via phone had been made since Saturday and then subsequently on Sunday, were unanswered. He was last seen alive on Saturday in the village.

Luis Zelaya, Resident

“I know ahn, but no really fi talk, talk to; just walk pass and hi, bye.”

Duane Moody

“How long has he been here?”

Luis Zelaya

Luis Zelaya

“Well actually I live yah, but I mi live dah city at the moment so I noh really know. I just come back.”

Duane Moody

“When was the last time you saw him?”

Luis Zelaya

“Well actually I neva see him cause we mi deh dah river when the thing happen, we mi gone fishing up the river. When we come back, we hear the news.”

Alvin Montero

Duane Moody

“We are standing right now in front of what used to be his house, burnt down. Did you guys hear anything in the village about what had happened here?”

Luis Zelaya

“Well I mi hear they say they burn down ih house and the man missing, but I mi hear they mi gone look for him already, but I neva know fi they find ahn or not until this morning when my friend dehn gone down there.”

This morning, a team of police officers and relatives headed out in search of Montero. Around nine o’clock, their worst fears were confirmed; a pair of women heading towards the bank of the river made the gruesome discovery. The body was retrieved by two villagers, including Luis Zelaya.

Luis Zelaya

“We mi di do wah lee work down so and I hear my friends dehn halla dehn find wah body, dehn find wah body. So I tell my friend make we go check it out. By the time we gone there, the police mi done deh down there already. But when we gone down there, we see he body and ih mi look face down. But actually when we come up and we gone fi di dory and come back, when we gone closer to the body fi gone get the body, ih mi deh face up. We drag in the body and ker it by the bank side and the police man dehn check the body; and we watch and on ih head back ih got wah big slice ina this piece yah. And a next slice ina ih head top and one ina ih throat.”

Due to the state of decomposition, a postmortem was carried out at a remote location on the Boom/Hattieville Circuit before immediate burial this afternoon. The autopsy confirms that Montero had been murdered, chopped to neck and right side of the head. It is believed that he was killed, dumped in the river and his house burnt to the ground to destroy evidence. It’s a frightening revelation for residents in the area.

Alvin Montero

Luis Zelaya

“Quiet village, but there are kinda lee ups and downs, normal things. But I neva know ih mi gwen this far to like this extent; ih gone far.”

A Roaring Creek man is in police custody tonight pending further investigation into this latest homicide. Duane Moody for News Five.