A man was found dead at the western border this morning but this time, no foul play is suspected.
The body of 33-year-old Jalurod Sankey was discovered in the Mopan River near the western border this morning. Alfonso Noble today traveled to Melchor to fit the pieces together on how this Belizean ended up dead at the border.
Alfonso Noble Reporting, [From Melchor]
The body of 33-year-old Garula Sankey lay up in the Mopan River just a couple thousand yards from the Western Border entry point. Zotero Flores is one of the first who found the body in the river.
Zotero Flores, Found Body
[Translation] "It was around 6:30 this morning when myself and a friend came down and saw someone who looked like he had drowned. When we came he was there. It wasn't all the way in and the police told me to drag him in."
While it's uncertain how the man ended up in the river, Immigration authorities tell us that on Tuesday morning, a man fitting the description of the deceased: that is a man with short dreadlocks, a black a white shirt with black sleeves and a white pair of trousers was brought to them by Guatemalan police. He was on the Guatemalan side of the border interfering with some tourists. His stay with Belizean immigration officials was short lived however as when he was being questioned, he walked away and scaled the 12-foot perimeter fence and made his way toward the river. How he ended up in the river is not known and for Flores it was a surprise.
Zotero Flores, Found Body
[Translation]"One can't help but be surprised when you see these things but what can we do."
Late this afternoon family members made their way into Guatemala to identify the body. A post mortem was also performed on the spot which indicated that there was no foul play.
Reports to 7NEWS are that Sankey may have suffered from mental illness as when he was taken to the immigration offices in Belize he was reported to have been acting irrationally. He was the son of the late Reginald Sankey, former customs officer and politician.