Alive! 4 Belizean travelers did not perish in Mexico

Dellis Staine

In our newscast on Wednesday we reported that four Belizeans were possibly murdered as they headed back to Belize through Mexico. The horrific news was prematurely confirmed by a representative from a generally accurate Ministry, and today families sighed with relief today as the speculation turned out to be a terrible rumor.  The report was that as many as four Belizeans may have been robbed and murdered while travelling on Mexican expressways by robbers who are well known to carry out armed attacks in the past.  The persons named husband and wife, Kurt and Arecia Mariano, and Police Scenes of Crime’s Martin Rodriguez.  But there was refreshing news surfacing and the group is well and alive.  In fact, aside from a tire change, their trip went without incident, according to Arecia Mariano when we spoke with her from the Belize/Mexican border. We also got in touch this evening with Wilfred Burgess, who was the fourth person said to fall victim of the reported incident and he confirmed that he and all the others are all safe and well and that there was an incident but that it did not involve Belizeans.

Voice of Wilfred Burgess, alive

“I know that they have the drugs people that are robbing in Mexico.  It’s like the first three hundred miles of Mexico, the zone that they are in.”

Marion Ali

“Okay, but you guys weren’t held up or anything?”

Wilfred Burgess

“Well, I didn’t get held up because I went and stayed in a hotel on Monday night.  What happened, the Mexicans had changed the policy about the visas so they were filling out the visas individually and by the time we got through it was about eight-thirty in the night and I told Roy it’s best we don’t go because we’re going into the zone where these bandits are.  So I told him to get a room so that we could spend the night and that’s what we did.  But we had about sixty more people that couldn’t get a room and they slept in their vehicle.  The rest of the Salvadorans; it was sixty of them total who slept outside the hotel and everybody get robbed four-thirty in the morning at gunpoint.  That’s all we know. We know that the zone is from the border to Tampico where the bandits are located.”

Marion Ali

“So you can confirm to us that all members whose names have been called as victims of robbery and murder, they are alright? You’ve seen them and spoken with them?”

Wilfred Burgess

“I’ve seen them, I’ve spoke with them.  They are in Belize City now.”

Marion Ali

“You saw them today and you spoke with them today?”

Wilfred Burgess

“Yes Ma’am.”

Dellis Staine, Relieved That Son is Alive

“We mi di worry because we hear all different kinda news and then we never get to no conclusion soh we start to worry but this morning we get wah news that everything was arite. We mi just done pray and everything and we just left everything eena God’s hand and hope for the best.”

Marion Ali

“I know that your daughter in law who was also reported to be one of the victims normally calls home every night but nobody had been able to reach her and she hadn’t called since Sunday night.”

Dellis Staine

“They usually call especially in the evening and let us know what is happening and my son usually call too and tell us what’s happening.”

Marion Ali

“And you hadn’t heard from them?”

Dellis Staine

“No, since Tuesday, they didn’t call on Wednesday night so that had us worried.”

Marion Ali

“What was the call that you got this morning?”

Dellis Staine

“This morning my son call and seh “What’s up, what’s up.  Everything arite?” And I seh “What, dat dah Kurt and den we start to laugh because everybody mi happy.”