Rufino Sho still missing since Agric Show

Rufino Sho

A search party, led by the police, is combing the Roaring Creek area for a father of three who has been missing since Sunday. The family of Rufino Sho, a handyman, is fearing the worst since he was inebriated when he was last seen and his clothes have been found near the National Agriculture Show Grounds. News Five’s Isani Cayetano was in Roaring Creek today and spoke to family members.

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

What should have been an enjoyable evening for a family of five at the National Agriculture & Trade Show on Sunday has instead led to a massive search effort by the Belmopan formation of the Belize Police Department to locate a missing father of three from nearby Roaring Creek.  According to his stepdaughter, thirty-six year old Rufino Sho had taken his family for an outing at the showground earlier that day before disappearing without a trace a few hours later.

Estela Oh

Estela Oh, Stepdaughter of Rufino Sho

“Dehn gone da showground like ‘round 6:15 eena di evening [and] come back like ‘round 7:30 and when time he come back he gone da Chun and when time he gone da Chun dehn pass down di lane weh Josie Shop deh and from then I noh hear ‘bout he again until dehn start to tell me how he missing and he noh come home and my ma di worry and thing.”

On Monday when he failed to show up at home his common law wife Hilaria decided to visit the police station in the Garden City to make a formal report.  There she was advised to wait until a period of forty-eight hours had elapsed before doing so.   Today makes five days since she last saw him and despite fearing the worst Oh is pleading with the relevant authorities to locate her husband.

Hilaria Oh

Hilaria Oh, Common-Law Wife of Rufino Sho

“I want mek di people, mek dehn find my common law husband because I really need ahn because we noh got no food home.”

There are many questions surrounding the mysterious disappearance of the handyman.  His neighbor, Roger Banner, says the last time he saw Sho was when he was socializing at a local bar that very evening.

Roger Banner, Friend of Rufino Sho

Roger Banner

“Well the last time I sih di man and ting da mi di Sunday afta di showground and di man mi di drink out and ting by di bar, by Carl’s Bar da Roaring Creek and dat da mi di last time I sih di man.”

Sho, by all accounts, was said to have been drinking with several friends at two locations along the Western Highway.  He was seen at both Hyde’s and Lappy’s cool spots on May first.  Sho, who is originally from Toledo, moved to Roaring Creek with his wife a few years ago.  Since then he has fallen out with a few people in the village.

Estela Oh

“When time he drink he get crazy and he like do ting just fih hurt somebody and he dah dehn person weh da trouble bwai then and he got lotta enemy round ya.  But I believe that how my ma say that how he got some friends weh he mi have before and… 00:03:44 Out:…dehn turn enemy.”

Roger Banner

“I think di man dead mein, I think dehn kill di man, you know.  But like I say mein I just feel it and ting fuh di man family and ting same way to ‘cause di man da mih wah nice person and di man da mi my friend check.  So I figure out more or less dehn kill di man ‘cause you know, dehn neva really like see how di man mi di move and ting right so I feel like di man dead.”

During a search of the Agric Showground police were able to recover two articles of clothing belonging to Rufino Sho.  When asked if at all it is possible that he may have gone for a swim and subsequently drowned in the nearby river, Estela told us that this fallen tree which straddles both of its banks would have stopped the body from drifting downstream. Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.

The search effort by police and residents continues throughout the weekend.