Grieving Family Forced to Bury B.D.F. Suicide Victim Prematurely

Micah Miguel

When twenty-three-year-old Micah Miguel took her own life last week, her grieving family did not expect that they would have to forego a proper sendoff for the Belize Defense Force soldier.  Suicide is not an issue that is often covered in the media, however, the circumstances surrounding the treatment of the woman while enlisted raises serious concerns.  There are allegations that Micah may have been among the women who were abused by their colleagues in the B.D.F.   In fact, reflecting on his daughter’s trials as a private in the military, Michael Miguel told reporters that there was a lot that she had to deal with in Dangriga.  In the wake of her death, the family has had to deal with another unfortunate ordeal regarding her burial.  News Five spoke with her father, Michael Miguel, this morning in Ladyville.

Michael Joseph Miguel, Father of Deceased

“Di Thursday I talk to my daughter and I tell ahn, “Baby, I get wahn phone.”  Soh I tek di picture fi ahn and ah send it to ahn.  Ih seh, and ih ansa me di Thursday, ih seh, “Daddy, ah di come home.”  And noh know that she have lotta problems pan di camp and I hyah that dehn staat to bully ahn pan di camp and da soh she decide fi gaan da ih auntie and tek ih life.  I heard about it to, so that’s why I mek di media come because this haftu stop if da that di happen eena B.D.F. because I da wahn ex militant too.  So if that di go ahn eena di B.D.F. and I hyah wahn lotta allegation bout it, bout my daughter eena it too, yoh know.  Soh I mek di media cohn fi mek I publish this fu mek ih go farther, you know.”

Michael Joseph Miguel

Reporter

“Did Micah ever tell you she wanted to go to the police?”

Michael Miguel

“Yes, that da mi ih mein thing because ih look like she mi di get abused een deh, because when she fi come home from work sometime, I noh know who noh mek ih come home or whatsoever, you know, because ih auntie, ih noh tell me mosta thing but oh tell ih auntie. I neva know that when ih gaan pan di camp ih mussi mi wahn do something pan di camp and dehn put ahn pan suicide watch.  But nobody from the camp noh call me as the next of kin, noh call me and tell me nothing.”

Reporter

“When did you find out?”

Michael Miguel

“When I find out da when [ih] done happen.  Now this morning when we gaan fi do the autopsy, the doctor wahn tell me that we haftu bury ahn todeh.  We haftu bury ahn todeh because ih done the decompose, you know.  So I wahn know why dehn neva put ahn pan good ice fi preserve the body, you know because dehn seh da wahn police case and nobody mi cyant go sih ahn, or you know.”