Bella Vista woman laid to rest; the community protests her murder
Susana Romero
In the southern community of Bella Vista, a well known resident, Susana Romero was laid to rest as villagers protested her murder. Romero who is originally from Guatemala worked as a waitress at a bar in the village in the Toledo District. After she went missing for days, Susana’s badly decomposed body was found by a group of boys on Monday morning. The man she was last seen with is now in police custody. News Five’s Andrea Polanco reports.
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
Family, friends and residents in Bella Vista Village stood with placards, calling for justice in the name of twenty-five year old Susana Roselia Romero; a Guatemalan waitress who was murdered. 
The community, galvanized by the loss of one of their own, descended on the cemetery grounds to pay their last respects. They grieved, prayed and sang together and today as she was laid to rest, their message was loud and clear; Susana’s killer must be held accountable.
Elida Ortiz
Elida Ortiz, Friend of the Deceased
“We just di claim justice because like what we hear, they noh find no evidence on this young lady body. So that means that this will stay right so and that can’t happen. This dah fist time this happen dah Bella Vista. We don’t want the police; [translated] “we don’t want the police released the criminal.” We nuh want, we nuh want.”
Albert Dawson
Albert Dawson, Father-in-law of the Deceased
“I only come yah fi sake ah this situation right. But I feel it as well as them because the gal have two sons with my son right. So, well I mi respect her to that extent. I feel it as much as them.”
Silvia Lopez
Silvia Lopez, Mother of the Deceased
“She is saying that in our country Guatemala, the death, what happen to her daughter wouldn’t stay like that. They bury her right now and tomorrow they are leaving him out. She says in Guatemala, the law do justice.”
Susana, the mother of two young boys, worked as a waitress at “La Mafia” and it was here, last Wednesday shortly after midnight that she was last seen. According to Susana’s friends, the establishment was closed when a Caucasian man banged on the door and asked to come in. He later left shortly after along with an intoxicated Susana in this red Nissan pick-up truck.
Carlos Guerra, Owner La Mafia
Carlos Guerra
“The last time that he saw them together was eleven-thirty in the night and he was in a red pickup and he saw when he took her. Like eleven-thirty or twelve, he was the one that took her. He saw when he took her.”
Andrea Polanco
“Did this man go into the Mafia Bar?”
Carlos Guerra
“Yes he did. He was inside with the young girl and the man touch the door and come inside and then he left with her.”
Jenny Nunez
Jenny Nunez, Friend of the Deceased
“I was going to the bar and just taking a little drink when I met her over there. this was Wednesday night and when we was drinking the man came and knocked on the door. It was a white man. He was tall; peel head, got two tattoos one over this side and this side.”
Andrea Polanco
“Does he live here in the village?”
Jenny Nunez
“He live in Independence. The day he ker her, he just tell her he gwen with her.”
Andrea Polanco
“Were they friends?”
Jenny Nunez
“Well actually I don’t know because they start to talk and I first time in my life I had seen this man.”
Andrea Polanco
“You don’t know what they were talking about?”
Jenny Nunez
“I don’t know because she just stepped outside and just everything; she said that she will come back and I was waiting for her and she neva come back.”
Andrea Polanco
“She never said where she was going?”
Jenny Nunez
“She said, I wah come right now. You must wait for me and I was waiting and then I noh see no one.”
Andrea Polanco
“So when she was talking to the white man, did it appear to you as if they were in an argument, a heated conversation?”
Jenny Nunez
“No they were just talking slowly and then he just ker her and nuh come back with her again.”
The man, villagers say, while he lived in a nearby community and would go around to conduct business. This is the first time he was seen with Susana. But earlier that night, before Susana left with him, villagers claim that he was bar hopping in the area. He made a stop at Mi Amor Bar where it’s alleged he made advances on another woman.
Proprietor, Mi Amor Bar, Bella Vista
“She is saying that this white man went to the bar that she is renting and that as he reached to the bar, the first thing he did was touch ih hand and tell ahn ih want spend wah lee time with ahn. But she said that she refused because she has her husband. So she is saying that the white man buy she wah beer and she noh even drink it because same time ih man mi deh deh. He mi di offer she money. So to me well this man mi di look fi wah nice time.”
And after she left, Susana was never seen or heard from and later that day friends and family started to worry about her absence. They say the police were of no help until Saturday and by that time residents had formed small search parties. And less than half a mile from where she was last seen, Susana’s half- nude, decomposing body was discovered here. Around eight-thirty on Monday morning a small group of boys encountered the gruesome scene just a stones’s throw away from the Southern Highway.
Jennifer Aguilar
Jennifer Aguilar, Friend of the Deceased
“The kids went running and when the support group reached, she was the first one in the scene and she went to see what was there and she saw that yes it was Susana and she just saw her laying right there. And the sister say some of her hands were already missing and that’s what she saw.”
Andrea Polanco
“Her body was decomposing?”
Jennifer Aguilar
“Yes she said the body was already decomposing and there were some parts missing, but she only had on her bra and her blouse just half way.”
On Sunday police picked up the man with whom Susana was last seen but it wasn’t until Monday that they impounded the vehicle. Reporting for News Five, I’m Andrea Polanco.
While police haven’t released the finding of the post-mortem; family members told News Five that they were informed that the cause of death was inconclusive due to advance state of decomposition. Along with the red Nissan truck, there’s a second truck in police custody.
I hope police and DPP proceed carefully, gather all the evidence, and convict the murderer. Then hang him. Murderers in the Jewel must die, a life for a life. No exceptions, no mercy.
I hope the community stays energised and focused on hunting down criminals from this day forward. The police can’t do it all by themselves, the people have to help make Belize safe again.
I hope they took sperm test.nails tussis from my sis becuase this man have too go to jail or else we WA take justice ina WA hand.this man did this ina he country how comes Belize give him visa…….!@#$%^& @$$hole inmigracion suppost to chek fu criminal records to every body who WA come da Belize……I de da America and when u come da de country de test u $#!% if they cud so why we govament make denia piple come da we country
Thats your belizean gov. They take back anybody from any part a di world as long as they pay someone pure and simple.
Sex, she lost her life probably for a little bit of $ that was promised to her for sex. My opinion is that he probably wanted rough kind of sex and she refused, This is not the first time this person has done something like this, I would not be surprised if he is wanted in another country if he is a foreigner. Post his picture and see which country claim him as a fugitive.
A message to women, respect your body more than just a piece of meat that can be sold or traded, untill you demand respect from men they will continue to disrepect you and treat you like garbage. One woman was saved becasue she said no, one lost her life because she said yes.
I know the Guatemalans will do their ow justice as they are useto, RIP Susana
O, Bella Vista! Bella Vista! O, Beautiful View! What horror! Condolences! Now, come together in solidarity and keep your community safe and sound!
Sex, kinky sex, wild sex and more sex……… aaah it does bad things to men. Before we go around forming lynch mobs every time someone shows up dead, let’s not get carried away by the idiots that write crazy stuff like “hang him, show no mercy.”
It is common in Central American republics for girls to become whores by the age of fifteen. Thus by the age of 25, they are experienced sex whores; who for a few extra bucks will fulfill your kinkiest sexual fantasy. When you play these games, people sometimes die.
Is this guy that they arrested guilty? We don’t know. Does he deserve to be punished? If he is the killer, the answer is yes.
Give the police some leeway. Let them investigate. Justice will prevail; but avoid the old fools that say crazy things like “No exceptions, no mercy.” Where is the gentle side of our Belizean nature?
Waitress or prostitute? here in Belize they call this ladies waitress. Mafia bar? What a stupid name! We need a name and photo of this white man. Please waitresses stay in Guatemala and do your business there, you say there you get justice. If nothing happen to the killer of Jasmin or the double murder of the Guats-Germans in Corozal and the other two drugdealers (car dealers). From Corozal also. Do you really think the family will get justice? I dont think so.
susana is not here to defend herself…let her Rest In Peace…It does not matter if she was a waitress at the bar or if she was selling…she had two kids to feed and sometimes we are not in d persons shoe, so who are we to judge… she did what she had to do to take care of her kids..its hard to be a single parent with little education maybe that was how she could survive out here..too bad she did not see it coming with the A-hole …i just think that the friend should have had her friend back and take down license plates and even a pict of the fool and his name…to each his own and no woman deserve to die like that…sometimes we do make wrong decisions in our lives but death is not the penalty…we have daughters and sons and im sure whatever life they choose to live we are not to judge them….no one is perfect…we all make mistakes…she was intoxicated she did not know what she was getting into by leaving with that man he took advantage of her and y did he just leave her body for animal to eat he shld have send an anonymous call so the family could have find d body and give her a proper and decent burial..no mother wants to bury their child in that state…we are humans not animals…have a heart….life haad out ya …we all have to do what we have to do do survive especially when we have kids…come on…my condolences to the family and friends…if u know he is the killer and he gets free den take justice in your hands caz somehow the killers always seems to get away in belize….there is no law…
@uncle Benji sad but true. Prostitution is all over the world even in the so call land of oportunitys and the american dreams. Please dont come and say where you come from dont have strreet hookers they do it for drugs or some they say that they were abused( thats a good excuse). I think the do it because they like sex and they get paid for. The sadest think i saw when i went to L.A. Was an old 100% white trash women-hooker and her legs were full of bumps and puss running down her legs. That was on hollywood boulevard.(after six p.m.). If guys will have more respect for woman i dont think we would have so many.
so sad to say but there is no control. You can see police drinking all about in Bella vista from Wednesday till Sundays begging for beers and harrasing people.
R.I.P Susana it doesn’t matter what you were….you had a good clean heart. You was always happy. I never hear a complain about you before….R.I.P baby girl until we meet again.
For gods sake people re-read your comments, listen to yourself, your all more monsterous than the killer himself, tearing up the remaining peaces of this poor woman , who are we to judge,,,,, dont let all those nasty words take over your hearts , the good hearts that we belizean have and the support that we should be showing to our people, people in our country, it could have been any of us and not necesarly under the same circumstances. you think this guy when around checking if the girl was belizean, NO he didnt so lets show a bit of solidarity and respect for human life.. to unclebenji and rod, pray that one day it is not your story we are not commenting on.. get a life@#$% #$%*.CHANNEL FIVE SHOULD BLOCK YOUR !@@@@# FROM COMMENTING SENSELESS !@#$!!! IDIOTS!!