Couple mysteriously vanishes from private island

Police have no leads yet in the mysterious disappearance of a couple who went to work on a small island over the weekend. The only sign so far are blood stains and a knife found in the house they occupied. Jose Sanchez has been following the story all day.

Jose Sanchez, Reporting
A couple has disappeared on a deserted island over the weekend. Earl Young Crawford, a resident of Tibruce Street, and his girlfriend Myrtle Gill had set out to his new job and new life on Brown’s Caye but Crawford and Gill have vanished, leaving family members worried about their safety.

Brother of Earl Crawford
“Well Thursday dehn mi di gear fi go right, but ih mi di get too late so dehn end up gone di Friday. I noh know if dehn gone di Friday afternoon or di Friday morning but dehn gone di Friday. So between Friday and di Tuesday when I get di news dat police mi di look my lee bredda I mi done know ih gone out ah caye but den I neva know what’s di scenario. So until when I get fi find out what’s di scenario and di place I get fi hear dat di place bloody and all ah dat, afta dat I noh know nothing else. So afta dat I just seh to myself well I noh know weh gone on or I noh know weh dehn di look fi he fah.”

Jose Sanchez
“Has your brother been known for being with the wrong crowd or gotten in trouble before?”

Brother of Earl Crawford
“No, he noh really give trouble like but yes, ih affiliated with di laws and thing. Me and ih pa mi di talk di other day and I tell ih pah I glad dat ih gone out deh fi stay and regroup ihself and keep away from troubles and thing. So I neva got no idea dat trouble mi gwein way out deh fi ah and fi he and ih gial. Cause I seh well dehn deh out deh, nothing noh wah happen to dehn out deh and dehn di try wah lee life and thing fi try work out dehn lee problem and thing. Dehn neva got really family problem together or nothing like dat and di last time he talk to ih gial dah like ih gial mi happy too mein.”

The missing couple were expected to stay on the island for a month before anyone would come to relieve them. It was only by chance that the owner of the Island, Walter Brown, stopped by on unrelated business to visit.

Walter Brown, Owner Brown’s Caye
“I went to the island to take some pictures. We were supposed to use those pictures to upgrade the caye to see if we can get one day cruise passengers for maybe a couple hours. When I got out 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. I went up the stairs into the other side of the house and that’s when I saw the bed with blood stains and on the floor, what appeared to be blood stains too. I knew something was terribly wrong. I didn’t find the people, I didn’t see them and you get flabbergasted and decide that this is something bigger than what I saw and I immediately called the police, I called 911 and reported the matter and they said they were gonna come out as quickly as possible.”

Insp. Hilberto Romero, Deputy O.C., Crime Investigating Branch
“Well a team of investigators visited the island nine miles south of Belize City where they checked the island and there they found a room where they found some blood and a knife with blood. The information is that the caretaker and hid girlfriend were staying at the island and were last seen there on Saturday.”

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

Insp. Hilberto Romero
“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.”

Brother of Earl Crawford
“I just seh I noh know. Somebody mussy gone out deh, he mussy know somebody and he mussy let dehn pan di island. I noh know what time or weh really gone on. I noh really got no basi idea weh gone one. I just mi want know weh dehn deh, or weh dehn body deh, or weh gone one or weh happen to dehn.”

And those are the questions that we all want answered. What happened to this couple who were ready to start a new life? Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.