Murder victim’s body to be taken back to Europe
maria Plaza gomez
Family members of the murdered Spanish flight attendant, thirty-seven year old Maria Antonia Plaza Gomez, will be transporting her body back home. But the police are still conducting an intense investigation to capture her murderer and bring that person to justice. Plaza, a mother of one, mysteriously went missing sometime after eleven on Sunday morning on San Pedro. She was last seen in the company of a stocky man on Coconut Drive, less than half a mile from Corona del Mar hotel where she was staying. Her severely bruised body was found with a belt around the neck on Tuesday afternoon. The discovery was made on a private property in a heavily trafficked area, in close proximity of her hotel. Today Police Press Officer, Sergeant Fitzroy Yearwood, says the two suspects are detained and they are looking for a third.
Sgt. Fitzroy Yearwood, Police Press Officer
“The doctor certified the cause of death to be strangulation. We have two persons detained and we’re currently seeking another in connection with this recent murder. We believe that the persons that we have detained can assist us in this investigation and eventually help us to bring closure to this crime.”
Marion Ali
“The last accounts that we have received from people on the island, this one fruit vendor told us that she was with this “gringo”—a big, tall, stocky man with long hair who carried a knapsack. Any of the detainees or the person you are looking matches that description?”
Sgt. Fitzroy Yearwood
sgt. fitzroy yearwood
“Well the person we are looking for is of Caucasian decent. The persons that we have detained, at some point during her stay on the island, they were seen either communicating with her or in actually moving around with her on the island with at least one of the two persons that we have detained. What we’re asking is that if members of the community know this person that we are looking for, if they can come forward and just assist us, even if it’s just for identification purpose—just for us to know who we are actually looking for that would help and go a long way. People who actually saw this woman on the island and made this photo available, they would remember who they saw her with and we are asking them to come forward so as not to prejudice the case for identification purposes.”
Marion Ali
“And the two men in custody they are cooperating with police?
Sgt. Fitzroy Yearwood
“As far as I know, yes.”
Marion Ali
“Let’s talk about the crime scene. Do police believe that she was murdered there or murdered elsewhere and just dumped there?”
Sgt. Fitzroy Yearwood
“Well that will have to come from the forensic report because that is not completely as yet. While the post mortem has been conducted the actual forensic report is still pending.”
Marion Ali
“Have police recovered anything from the crime scene that suggest that there was another person there? Aside from her belongings, was their anything like a cigarette butt or some strange footprints? Have you gathered?”
Sgt. Fitzroy Yearwood
“Like I said Mar that would come in the forensic report.”
Plaza’s body was covered with a large inflatable floater and her blouse was pulled up to her face. Police have still not established a motive for the killing, but it is not believed that she was robbed. Gifts that she had purchased just minutes before she went missing were still beside her body.
The “gringo” thought that he could get away with a crime….. well we have pictures that we will turn over to the police. YOU CAN RUN….. BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE!!!
This is a very strange case. Nothing seems to have been stolen from her. It makes you wonder if maybe this was a set up for her to murdered in a small 3rd world country, where forensic testings are not available to assist in solving these brutal crimes. We (Belize) sure need a forensic lab to be able to conduct proper testing to assist in solving all these murders.
We’re here talking about checking Belizean Citizens id when they arrive at LaIsla Bonita.Why wasn’t this gringo id checked?Maybe this heinous crime could have been solved.I guess gringo doesn’t fit the description of someone who would commit such crime.
SMG you may be right but Elgin is right, we need to be more vigilant. We have had more than our share of criminals on the run wash up on our shores & accepted, no questions asked.
Maybe it wasn’t actually the “Gringo” who did it!!!
He may have said goodbye and gone on his way just after they left the fruit stand.
Really folks, it could be anything! Nobody knows…
well one answer could be if the town board all the business people and add in a small tax to everyones bill then you could buy camaras and put them through out the island on houses on coconut trees and so on maybe you will capture some facinating thing going on on the island instead of the lions culb drinking out all the money they can chip in also for this cause.
@Rod: i tink we shud hire u since u aparently know what we do on di iland. U mite solve di crime within a few hrs. FOOL. We iland ppl always try to help in any way posible because dis affects the whole country of Bze n not just di iland ok.
@Elgin, this is why the community is asking for a minfesto of names, imagine this gringo came, and left and no one noticed, imagine if there was a minfesto like with Tropic Air and Maya Air…Again will we as Belizeans let criminals (be it local, or outsiders) come and tear us down…? Kill our children, rob our elders, burn down houses, rape, kill….Each community needs to come together and do what has to be done to put safety back on the streets. Look at your community what can be done to put safety on your streets to protect everyone?
Need to get Patty Arceo back as minister. She will do the job the guys in power now is afraid of doing.
Are the police still asking for pictures from the SAGA Halloween contest on Sunday? Was it believed that she was there?
belcop1480: Stop acting like an idiot son what is your point?
belcap1480:
I don’t normal agree with Rod as he is a blue man and everything is link to Mr Barrow. I think even if his wife turn out to be pregnant he would say its Mr Barrow’s fault.
However, bizarrely I want to agree with the first half of his statement. I don’t know anything about Lion Club, but the bit about a small tax to support CCTV around the island is a great idea.
It would definitely cut crime, and it is certainly a better idea than the suggestion of having a manifesto of who is coming to San Pedro. The risk of having a guestapo like state where the people single out Belizeans to ask them for papers, where they are there etc. I have seen the resentment this creates in certain establishments in the City where Belizeans were restricted access. I never feel that a citizen of this country should have areas where they are allowed irrespective of the money in their pocket, the colour of their skin, or whether they were born in a particular district or town. Lets not start that nonsense now. So certainly cameras around the town monitored by one central office will be a better way of doing things. No discrimination, then anyone going to San Pedro knows that there are CCTVs all over the Island and be on their best behave. This drive amongst a few San Pedroans to have Belizeans in their own country showing identification is so wrong. What is even more shocking is that they may live in San Pedro but if you check their background they are from other countries. How then do you tell a person like myself who can trace my family for at least 175 years in Belize, formerly British Honduras that I must show you my ID? Outrageous! I have travelled all over the world the Far East, North Africa, North America, Europe, and the Caribbean. In none of the countries I have visited did I witnessed such a practice. So certainly Rod’s idea is not a bad one.