Belmopan Resident Found Dead Off Hummingbird Highway

Imari Galve

A family’s worst nightmare was confirmed on Tuesday evening when the decomposing body of nineteen-year-old Belmopan resident Imari Galvez was found. Her body was in some bushes near mile forty on the Hummingbird Highway. She was partially nude. Injuries to her left breast and right leg were observed. Investigators believe she was shot in the head. But who would want her dead and why? Tonight, the Galvez family in Belmopan is retracing her steps in search of answers. Hipolito Novelo reports.

Hipolito Novelo reporting

Tonight, the mother of 19-year-old Imari Galvez is in tears…

Johanna Caceres, Mother of Imari Galvez

Johanna Caceres

“In two weeks, her birthday was coming up. And she told me Mom I want a party for my birthday.”

Instead of a birthday party for Galvez, Johanna Caceres and her family are now planning her funeral.

The decomposing body of the Belmopan resident was found at around six o’clock on Tuesday evening. She was partially nude, with injuries to her left breast and right leg. Investigators say they observed what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head.

Galvez was last seen here, at her house in the Salva Pan area of Belmopan, at around midnight on Saturday. It was when she received a phone call an hour later that she left her house and never returned.

Johanna Caceres

“I saw sadness in her face like she wanted to say something. I saw her face like she was crying but honestly, I did not ask her anything. So, she went back in her room. I know that Imari stayed in her room at least until one o’clock in the morning because I moved from my steps at twelve-thirty the night. Me and my husband went into my room. So, we went to sleep. I did not hear anything. I didn’t hear anything so. Somebody came for my daughter between one and that has to be somebody who is close to her because she would never go with someone who she does not know and I know my daughter very well. No matter where she is or where she goes she will always communicate with me. If she is with this friend she will send a picture of which friend she was and that night she didn’t.”

And it was then that the Galvez family became worried and suspicious. They tried calling her phone several times but there was no answer.

Galvez had disappeared.  Her family realized that the worst had happened to her when they saw her phone charger in her room.

Johanna Caceres

“The first thing that she would take with her when she is going somewhere is her charger. Her phone charger was in her room. Everything was in her room.”

Said Enriquez, Relative

“In fact she walks with her charger because she doesn’t want her phone to go dead. In fact, the first thing you do when you reach somewhere is that you ask for the WIFI because you want to stay online. So I told my lady, this is not right because for three days she has not gone online. Something is wrong. I have a bad feeling about it.”

Said Enriquez and other family members organized a search party. That search led them to some bushes off the Hummingbird Highway. Enriquez says he smelled death.

Said Enriquez

Said Enriquez

“First stop we did was by the bridge. I even hit some little trails to go far, far to see signs of something, like a blouse or something. Nothing. But when I come back out now they were waiting for me. I remember a taxi man reached there.  He asked me what is going on. I told him to be honest we are looking for a family member we think went missing. I told him I am thinking the worse right now. You think there are some other roads where you can actually drive where you can go far through the holes here because you know people who want to do bad but they rather drive. They don’t want to drag somebody for miles. So he started to tell me why don’t I go to the road where they found the body the last time. In fact, he even said that was a famous spot to bodies. We just continued walking up the hill probably less than a quarter mile. Smell, a smell hit we.”

And that was the first sign of confirmation. A few feet deeper in the woods, they found Galvez’s body.

Dionora Caceres, Aunt of Imari Galvez

Dionora Caceres

“It is really sad, I can say that the persons who did this are heartless. They don’t have kids. They don’t have a daughter. The way she died, no one deserves to die like that. It is really sad. It is very sad. Right now we don’t have the words to express how we feel. It really hurt all of us.”

Tonight, the family is asking questions and demanding justice.

Johanna Caceres

“I know that somebody who is close to her, somebody who called her, that is the person who did this to my daughter. She did not deserve that. Whosoever do it, god knows the best because Imari was my best friend. We shared everything together. I know that this person whosoever do it was a person who was close to she.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Hipolito Novelo.