Caye Caulker Chairlady Calls on Police to Conduct Thorough Investigation

As we’ve reported, this latest murder on La Isla Cariñosa has left residents in shock. Caye Caulker is known as a peaceful village with a low crime rate. This is the second murder to happen on the island this year. In June, forty-five-year-old Floyd Samuels was shot dead at his home. Back in 2016, fifty-one-year-old Jennifer Coleman was murdered. Her throat was slit. In 2009, Lurlene Young was attacked and killed in her home. And the recent murder of Leslie Verde has left a dark cloud over the popular tourist destination. Chairlady Seleny Villanueva-Pott says it is concerning and calls on the police to do a thorough investigation.

Seleny Villanueva-Pott

Seleny Villanueva-Pott, Chairlady, Caye Caulker Village Council

“I really think the police department have their work cut out and we would hope that at thorough investigation is conducted. I actually had some community members coming to me saying that they remember in past years, this is not the first of its kind.”

Hipolito Novelo

“Caye Caulker is tourist village, are you worried that the headlines might read “woman found dead in Caye Caulker”?

Seleny Villanueva-Pott

 “Yes, of course because being an emerging destination that is one of the things that always crosses my mind. I’ve actually had this discussion with Commissioner a few months aback where I told him that it is slow season. We need to ensure the department is under p’s and q’s because we know we rely heavily on tourism and we cannot afford to have any incidents happen in Caye Caulker. Unfortunately, we couldn’t prevent one. Things happen but we want reassurance from the Police Department that they are out here, that they are doing their jobs. We are calling on them to come out and do their jobs and ensure that at the end of the day that we feel safe in our communities and our visitors also don’t get a skewed image of our destination.”