Murder and Attempted Suicide in Cayo
Maritza Janet Santos
The other murder, a crime of passion, occurred in the west at the start of the weekend. On Friday night, a young woman was murdered and the alleged killer attempted suicide. There are more questions than answers on what transpired since the couple was alone. Nineteen year old Maritza Janet Santos was with her boyfriend of one month, twenty-six year old Michael Silva. The couple got into an argument and Silva is believed to have struck Santos on the head. She died soon after and he ingested a potent herbicide. On Friday night he was rushed to the Universal Health Partners where he remained until today. The Santos family is reeling from the homicide and didn’t wish to appear on camera and while they said they have no clue about the reason for Martiza’s murder, they want justice. News Five’s Andrea Polanco spoke to Inspector Mai of the Western formation.
Inspector Claudio Mai, O.C., Cayo Police
“On Friday, the twenty-third of September, about seven-ten p.m, information was received of which police acted and visited the residence where Michael Silva was residing in the Kontiki area, San Ignacio Town. Where upon arrival they saw the body of a female later identified as Maritza Santos, nineteen years, domestic of Hill view Area, Santa Elena Town; in one of the bedrooms apparently dead with a large wound to the right side of her forehead. Also in the house, was observed a quart of Proquat twenty SC herbicide, of which police have taken into custody or as exhibit. Further information obtained by the police stated that Michael Silva, twenty six years, Belizean businessman of Kontiki Area was taken to the Belize Healthcare Partners in Belize City for ingesting the Proquat.”
Claudio Mai
Andrea Polanco
“Inspector Mai, it is being alleged that there was an argument. Have the police been able to determine what that was all about?”
Inspector Claudio Mai
“I wouldn’t want to speculate. We will leave that until the investigations unfold and see what we can get from that.”
News Five understands that Silva was released today from the UHS for further medical treatment abroad.
does not look good at all why was this man even allowed out of the country? Condolences to both families cause we always raise our children one way and they end up doing what ever the hell they want with little regard to consequence. this young man is so selfish leaving his family and the young womans family with worries and pain they did not ask for….so selfish! So selfish!
PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! Don’t tell me this man was allowed to travel for treatment abroad. This is UNBELIEVABLE!!
Under this administration people are just dropping like flies rise up belizeans rise up enough is enough get out barrow out.
SILVA WONT SERVE TIME (TRUST ME) HIS DAD HAS ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD TO BUY HIM OUT OF THIS!!!!!
Why has he been allowed to leave the country? and why are people not saying more on the matter. i dont care which minister’s son he is, he killed someone and should face the music!!
The young lady is dead and hes being allowed to run away so easy?? The santos family should sue them for all their worth! He is a killer and should rot in jail for what he did, who gives a damn what miniser’s son he is??!
OMG! This is unbelievable. Urgent EXPLANATION NEEDED on how he could be released
for further treatment abroad. OMG!
i bet he wont live for long he either dies from the poisoning or what goes around comes around it’s a fact. he should have been left here to die slowly and painfully and not send him abroad for further medication. no mercy on him let karma as they say take care of him.
my people… don’t worry.. God is above all.. and believe you me.. he will pay for what he did… He is paying now, suffering each day that passes by.. Yes he was allowed to leave Belize.. but he will not survive.. This pesticide kills no matter if the best doctors tend to him… Give him ten more days and he is GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MONEY doesn’t buy GOD’s JUSTICE!!!!!!!!!!!
why are people so quick to judge and convict, the police report did not call it a murder investigation nor did they mention a cause of death so no one really knows what happened yet. what the investigation will reveal is that this is the tragic end to the story of an extra marital affair gone very wrong when the man tried to end his affair with a mistress who suddenly wanted much more while he was attempting to regain the family he had just lost as a result. these are the consequences of the irresponsible actions of both him and the girl.
our society is so quick to judge and convict. what the investigation will soon reveal is what most people in cayo know – that is the tragic end to the story of an extramarital affair gone very wrong when a man tries to end an affair with a lover who suddenly wanted much more when we was trying to regain the family he had just lost as a result. these are the consequences of the irresponsible actions of both him and the girl. his wife may be left a widow, his children without a father and the girl’s family will mourn. people need to start thinking before they act.
wat d hell are u talking about finding the facts????if he really wanted his family in d first place he wouldnt even have given the girl reasons to be with him…i saw dis guy go to dis girls house evryday….he was the one in the wrong because dat girl had a life and so much to live for..he was not ending..the girl was ending it..he jus didnt want the girl to leave…dis guy shud die because he is selfish…
Wow. A murderer allowed to leave the country. The bad guys win yet another one.
Let’s hope God gives us justice here, because most surely the police will not or cannot.
I guess Finding the Facts is a family aide. Extra marital affair or not. It still doesn’t take away that he killed the girl. This ……. should die slowly. He sill wont live.. Paraquat has already eaten his entrails and will only suffer for his sin. Don;t see why people are offering condolences to his family. HE IS A FRIKKIN MURDERER.
@findingthefacts yes it was an affair gone very wrong, and both are to be blamed. but apparently he was trying to end the affair by taking her to cancun just recently? and the “family” was a troubled family which we all know, lets hope God judge him cause we are nobody to judge so lets get the facts.
Is it possible that the story of the poison was made up so this idiot could have leave the country?
u people cant read?? he is at Universal..a clinic in Belize City… unless you think that going to Bze city means going abroad…
Findingthefacts needs to tell his bull crap story to someone else. I bet if he survives that will be the defense in court. Oh how sad when the rich can get away with so much and the poor just crumble in their mighty hands. A young, beautiful young lady at rest now. RIP!
@what the hell, too busy too care, and Unbiased. I am not biased towards any party, what I am saying is that whatever it is – manslaughter in a passionate craze or intentional murder, it is the sad ending to irresponsible behaviour on both their parts. doesn’t matter if his family life was not perfect, that didn’t give him or the young lady the right to cheat which they chose to do bring ing about this end. let the justice system determine his faith if God doesn’t before!
I don’t feel sorry for either of them. If it’s true that she was having an affair with this man she deserve everything she got. Every action have a consequence. As for the guy he should die he broke up his family and brought shame on his kids.
If any of you have ever been around someone who has ingested paraquat or gramaxone, you would know that they die 99% of the time, some just take longer to die but they die.
If he did go abroad for treatment believe me he did not go walking. I have had the unfortunate situation where two of my friends on different occasions drank the above mentioned pesticides and they both died.
Even if Mike miraculously recovers he will not have much of a life left healthwise.
@ C… yes we can read but apparently you cannot read much less understand “News Five understands that Silva was released today from the UHS for further medical treatment abroad”
i knew maritza. i knew her well… i also know that men are men and some are great liars and pretenders. she was a wonderful girl. smart. with great dreams. he asked for her hand in marriage. maybe he was too great a liar but he was definitely not with his wife or kids.. i am not even sure he was married…. or just had a child with someone. whatever the case… it gave him no right to kill her…. and that crap story about her wanting more. you don’t know maritza. she could care less about material things. his money was nothing. he was the one that could not deal with letting go if anything.
Excuse me finding facts but the last I checked our laws don’t execute young women for having affairs or being a mistress. Did you read the story- large wound on the side of her forehead. He bashed her head in. To all men – if you want to break up with someone no need to bash their head in! Its ridiculous to try to defend this man. Apparently c cannot read..the story clearly states that he was released from UHS for further medical treatment abroad. A travesty, the family will just say he died while he lives it up in Chicago, LA or NYC. Seen it before, rich young men who think they can get away with anything.
Is this Danny Silva’s son? If so this is sad for both family. Murder is wrong but maybe it was an accident
@finding the facts!!!!!! you say they are judging???? i am her family and they already called it a murder!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! don’t come and say she is a mistress!!!!!! why did he get engaged to her then??? don’t talk if you don’t know and you stop blaming it on her! nothing justifies that animal to have taken a big part of our family!!! so just stop your comments and don’t talk about what you don’t know!!! we are grieving here because maritza died with such pain!! i love the comment above a bout no money can buy God’s Justice!
@finding the facts! don’t talk if you dont know! she is my family and i know what happen. mistress? why did he engage her? dont try to blame it on her nothing justifies what he did!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! leave us alone! I love the comment above about no money can buy God’s justice! you’ll see that come tru finding the facts
@ ashanti! she did not deserve what she got u stupid!????
Mike was married last i heard of him, with kids too. I dont know if he was still married at this time, but regardless this young girl did not deserve this. How heartless of the above comment that said she deserved this! He probably lied to her n told her he was single, but i dont think anything justifys him taking a life. he had no right and i hope he pays for what he did!
According to the center for disease control, ingesting paraquat causes symptoms such as liver, lungs and kidney failure in several days to several weeks that can lead to death up to 30 days after ingestion . Those who suffer large exposures are unlikely to survive.Chronic exposure can lead to lung damage,kidney failure, heart failure.and oesophageal stricture.
@Wat??? what makes you think I don’t know? sad to see he was not only fooling her but you and your family as well. even if he had ‘engaged” her as you call it, you would have soon found out the truth because if you go to the registry you will confirm that he has been married for the last six years and up until when his wife found out about his affair couple weeks ago, they were still living together in that very house! the only victims here are his and your family now left with the shame and grief. I pray for you all.
YEA U PEOPLE REALLY NEED TO STOP BLAMING MARI FR WHAT HAPPEN!!! HE ENGAGED HER!!! SHE WASN’T NO MISTRESS!!!! GET U FACTS RIGHT BEFORE U TALK!!!! ASHANTI PLEASE HAVE SOME SHAME TO B TALKING LIKE THAT U DONT EVEN KNEW THESE PEOPLE…CAUSE IF U DID U WOULDN’T BE SAYING SILLY $#!%!!!!
I think Ashanti is stupid!!!!! NO ONE….NO ONE!!!!! Deserves to be killed whether they are cheating or not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ashanti is stupid!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO ONE DESERVES TO BE KILLED WHETHER THEY ARE CHEATING OR NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TALK ABOUT CORRUPTION!!!!!!!!!! HE NEEDS TO GET BACK IN BELIZE AND LET THE LAW DEAL WITH HIM!!!! I HOPE!
@ ashanti… wtf?? she neva deserve wat she got.. from wat i heard the mike has finally died.. now he yes got wat he deserved.. not entirely all. he should hve suffered a painful and slow death.. am glad he died.. if u can take away sm1’s life( especially sm1 u supposingly love) then you urself do not deserve to live.. may he rot in hell and my condolences to her family.. mr. dan silva is a gr8 man bt his son is a disgrace to the silva family..
It’s so sad that such a young life was lost and another is hanging on to dear life! I still don’t understand what this beautiful young, SMART, woman was doing with an older guy, a MARRIED guy, with CHILDREN!! She had so much going on and being the smart girl that she supposedly was she could have known better than to entertain this guy. As for michael, let God judge him. He is already suffering both physically and mentally and that alone is so much punishment to bear! I can also understand maritza’s family because they too are hurting. No one has the right to take away life but the one who gave it… GOD!!!! I hope that the authorities can get to the bottom of this! my condolences to both families.
Sometimes anger brings out the worse in people… But none of us were there. I pray that God gives both families the understanding and strength to rise above this tragedy.. may Maritza rest in the bosom of God and may Mikey repent for whatever sin he may have committed, so that he too may share in God’s kingdom. And may we all, as Belizeans, find the compassion in our hearts to forgive, and the grace to pray to the only being who can help us, Our Lord Jesus Christ… AMEN
Everyone is just speculating on what happened. The truth is that only Maritza and Mike knows what happens. This case will require some serious CSI type investigation. At this point Science is the only hope for ever finding out what transpired. Circumstancial evidence suggests that he may have done it, and maybe so…but everything is not always what it seems. If he survives, then justice ought to be served if he really did it. You know our crime investigators are ill-equipped, so it’s not hard to see a good lawyer casting doubt on whether he is responsible. I mean, what if she fed him the poison and then he hit her in self defense. The point is, there are no factual evidence to support either scenario, and so everyone is casting judgement on pure speculation.
who are we to judge others or point our fingers. I know pain and anger makes us say things on our minds but like some of us said no one really knows what transpired between them but God and themselves. I know Mikey and he never seemed to be a guy that would do something like that. As for Maritza she seemed to be a cool girl too . However this is a tragedy that happened and both families have been affected by this and they both need our prayers to grieve and to heal.
As for Ashanti who said that she deserves this i guess she must be so immaculate and has never done anything wrong in her life.
Hope uno cud read creole… Ina wah funny way i kno both di yung gial and di yung man but i neva met dem befoe. I kno fust haan dah wat fi mek dem kill wah familih memba… Mie lee bredda was shot dong ded rite next to me. Ih mi natural fi mek i mi wah revenge cus dah mie lee bredda. Why dem shoot hi??? Cuz dem mih wah get atta my big bredda. Mie lee bredda neva desrve weh him get. Mie lee bredda mih innocent fi mek dat happen to hi. I stat lash outt crazy and mih wah shoot di man weh kill mie lee bredda. I even gaan and mek di babylan kno who kill my lee bredda… Babylan seh dem wah do weh dem cud do… Dis man neva hav money fi get aff any chagges or cuda mih buy eniwan… butt hi manage fih waak… I get craziah… ready fih ded fih mie lee bredda. Buh how when mie big bredda kill dis man befoe me… now i mih di defen mie big bredda. I mih di help mie big bredda run weh. I nevah wah see mie big bredda inah no piss house. I neva wah nobadi come kill mie big bredda. Babylan pic dih man up befoe eniwan cuda mih get to him… now inna wah way ih mi gud ann inna wah way ih mih bad… dih fact dat babylan pic dis man up save fih hi life… butt hi wah have to face chagges and di man serve time even dou i dah mi wah witness dah mie lil bredda trial dis man walk free and mie big bredda kill hi… Afta all this hate… nobody eva win… i mih wish death fi di man and end up di loose 2 bredda instead ah one… My old lady loose 2 picni to mada!@$$… all we do dah cuz grief to everyone weh reely care bout we… inna all di end nobody eva win but death.. Everybadi wah dead… But neva di less di young gial neva desrve fi dead… and di young man noh desrve fi dead… i kno fust hand dah what fi mourn and rage… and fust hand dah wat fi defend and rage… nobody wins…. di ones weh stop fust wins… Wah murdah noh balance out wah next murdah… ih wah only mek wah next murda occur… i loose half mie family to this violence… i move dah cayo weh things kaama… yes peeple di dead… everyday peeple wah ded… ih up to uno if uno wah ded pan foolishness… uno try be peeple… find peace innah unoself… uno support each adda… 2 families di go thru !@$$ and peeple di ask fi moe violence.. dem 2 famili don dih suffa enuff… uno try help peeple find peace instead a dih push things inna peeple head… i run fah dat but i guess… noh care weh u goh inna Belize… dah dih same !@$$ ova an ova… uno cuz havoc pan unoself… stop dwell pan di past and help dem 2 famili get back pan dem foot… help dem put back dem famili… both famili loose… both famili has been destroyed…
unbelievable that he is currently out of the country in sunny miami or texas receiving treatment. What a crock of $#*t! If you are involved in a crime you don’t get to leave the country there is NO WAY she would have had the strength to cause so much damage to herself that was caused BY A MAN. Hope justice is served but stupid Belize police for allowing her to leave. Wonder how much they were paid?
My condolences to the girl Maritza’s Family. God is great and He knows what actions he will take from here on, for only God and Micheal know what really happened. This poor girl’s life has already been ended in a tragic way but all we can do is pray for her soul to rest in peace. Justice is all in God’s hands
These young girls of this generation don’t have no morals, respect and standards for themselves. Many young ladies are having relationship with married men and don’t give a …. and it’s so sad. What goes around comes around unfortunately she got it in the worse way. Belize is a small country so don’t tell me she didn’t know this man was married, please!!!!!!! They only person I feel sorry for is the kids and the family left to bare this shame. Thou shalt not commit adultery and thou shalt not covet.
@Ashanti
Youre saying she deserved to die???? Are you stupid??!!! Then you should die too caz im sure you’re not !—… perfect! my family has enough pain stop your stupid comments and get a life! be glad for it caz maritza’s life was taken away by this monster and yu appreciate yours while you can! Read the rest of the Bible, focus on yur sins!!!!
RIP Maritza. God is just!