Disappearance of couple baffles police and family

The mysterious disappearance of a couple from a private island over the past weekend is still baffling police and family members. There are still no suspects and no established motives but the scene of the crime suggests that the day the couple disappeared, was an ordinary day in their life. Jose Sanchez has a detailed report from Brown’s Caye.

Jose Sanchez, Reporting
Brown’s Caye is an oasis located nine miles from the coast of Belize City. With coconut trees, barbecue grills and the Caribbean breeze, this island should have been an ideal one month romantic getaway for Earl Young Crawford and his girlfriend Myrtle Gill.

But the island’s peaceful demeanour masks what appears to be a scene of a gruesome encounter. Walter Brown sent his watchman Earl Young, to his island on Friday, and on Tuesday July eighth, when he visited the island he realized all was not well.

Walter Brown, owner of Brown’s Caye (9 July, 2008)
“When I got to the pier the watchman didn’t come out as is usual so I got off with the friends I had and went to the house and when I went there both doors were opened. On the door of the room to the south all the mattresses were on the floor and so I knew something was very wrong.”

And the only possible witnesses to the event are two pups that belonged to Myrtle Gill herself. We found them hungry but unwilling to leave the watchman’s house which we found with the doors open.

The occupants were getting ready to eat as we find a table, partially set. Plates, forks and spoons scatter the table. A large chunk of cabbage had just been cut and the knife used to cut it nowhere in sight. A flashlight lay on the table, possibly because it was it was night. A broken plate, also still in place indicates that the room had been undisturbed following whatever had occurred. The bedding sponge was thrown over. A female slipper, which Gill’s mother identified as her daughter’s, and a cut piece of underwear were both laying on the floor. But the most damning evidence of foul play would be the blood splatters near the exit of the building, enough to indicate that something terrible happened in the night.

Jose Sanchez
“Was there anything you found that make you believe it might be foul play?”

Insp. Hilberto Romero, Deputy O.C., C.I.B. (9 July, 2008)
“Well, the knife that was found and the blood that was found in the building arises a suspicion so we have commenced an investigation.”

Jose Sanchez
“You have any leads that you are following, any arrests?”

Insp. Hilberto Romero
“No arrests at this time. We are working on the information that we are getting. The information is coming in and we continue to work on the case.”

After viewing our footage the brother of Myrtle Gill says that the family doesn’t believe that this story will have a happy ending.”

Ishmael Gill, Brother of Myrtle Gill
“After I si di footage there I noh have much hope. Mi hope get dull and dampen mi whole spirit. I noh see nothing positive out ah it, you know. It has been a couple days of grief to the family and all we want dah wah closure to the whole ordeal. Dah mi sister and everything and I love ah and we live in a real world and I just want closure to the whole scenario.”

Jose Sanchez
“What information have u gotten from the police?”

Ishmael Gill
“We have noh no official nothing from the police, the police noh come to my parents as such come give an official nothing on the whole incident.”

And while no one believes that Myrtle had any enemies that would want to harm her, her boyfriend Earl Young Crawford had had only one known major incident and possibly the only clue that could shed light on the situation. He was once charged in the homicide of the police department’s “gentle giant” in 2004, which caused much anger in the police department.

Maureen Leslie, Former Deputy Commissioner of Police
“He was teased as being a gentle giant. He was big in size, very big in size. But he was extremely quiet. He was committed, he was dedicated. He is one of those officers who got to work an hour before time to make sure that he is on spot and he was well respected by his colleagues. Nobody can say anything negative about him. It was rough to see a person, a police officer in his uniform down on the ground like that. When I got there, the officers, everybody who came after they were so upset.”

Edwina Armstrong, Sister of Murdered Officer (29 November, 2004)
He worked at a quiet area in Caribbean Shores and he is always off the street. He is maybe posted at different posts in the area so I think it’s more like sending a message to the department.”

The Book of Revelation sat on the bed frame waiting to shed light on the situation.

Ishmael Gill
“Well my mother just gave her the Revelation. Ih seh before ih left she mi di talk to ah and have a discussion and she gave her that book about life on a whole. I don’t know, maybe she felt something.”

And like the book, the answers are still waiting to be opened, to be exposed. Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.