A Parallel between Gregory Bowen and Nestor Vasquez’s Demise

Orson Elrington

Elrington added that the unfortunate incident is similar to the tragedy that befell the Vasquez family when their loved one, Nestor Vasquez Junior – also known to have mental health issues – died while in police custody in June 2019.  The family’s attorney calls it a systematic breakdown.

Orson Elrington, Attorney for Bowen Family

“The parallels are eerie and it speaks to the very nature of this matter, that this is a systematic breakdown and in fact I remember so vividly during that time that one of the calls of the family was beyond the compensation, they wanted to see structural changes to address this dire need of those suffering from mental illness in Belize.  It is so parallel because indeed it is the circumstance that the deceased was suffering from an episode and the family, having no other alternative, turned to the police and in turning to the police, the police similarly were negligent in their duty of care and so the two circumstances are on all fours.  So we have two documented cases of persons suffering from mental illness who have tragically lost their lives in, I would want to say, less than two years.”