With Christmas just 6 days away, the festive spirit is in full, unfettered swing, and this past weekend many took that first taste of Christmas spirits. But one Cayo woman took a bit too much and died in a frightening freak accident. Alfonso Noble went west to Cayo this morning, to find out how 46-year-old Rita Myvette died not from drinking, but because of it.
Alfonso NobleReporting
46-year-old Rita Myvette was at this bar on Friday night drinking with friends and having a good time. At around 3 she left the bar and made her way here to this house where she continued to drink.
It is from this verandah that at around 5:30 on Saturday morning Rita Myvette fell to her death. Elida Bucknor was one of several persons who was drinking at the house along with Myvette when she fell to her death.
Elida Bucknor, Witness
"About around five so, around four we saw this person hollering for us and we saw that they reached there. When they reached there, they were already 'nice up.' Two of them were 'blacked right up' and they went by the steps and stand up and talk and everything. They were running joke, everybody was running joke, laughing and everything. So the young lady told Rita she was going home and Rita was sitting down on a board chair. She was sitting on this board chair and she told the young lady they were going home. So the coolie girl, Alma, said she was going home too and so Alma walked down the step to go home. Then Rita called her and asked, 'babes you won't give me a hug before you leave.' And she turned right back and she hugged the lady. She just hugged her and two
of them went off of the verandah. The stool, the foots were already cranky already. It was cranky and so the weight of them is what caused them to drop.
And then we got frightened and we ran downstairs to help them and we picked up the lady, the young lady Alma told us to please get some water for her to drink. She drank the water and she came back. We took her to the hospital and when we reached the hospital with her, the doctor came and the police came. And the doctor checked her and then came out and told us she was dead. It was just an accident, just like that. The girl didn't push her or anything, she just turned around, hug the lady and they went just like that."
While Bucknor says it is was just an accident that caused the two women to fall off the verandah ripping the Christmas lights as they fell, for James Moore who is Myvette's nephew, he says the family still has its concerns.
James Moore, Deceased's Nephew
"The family is a bit concerned because they wanted to know really what happened, if it was an accident, if she was accidentally pushed or something. So the family is not blaming anyone but we will leave it in the police's hand. Once they come up with a final conclusion then we will be satisfied with that, whatever the conclusion is."
And as they await the conclusions of the investigation, police have detained Alma Woodeye the woman who fell along with Myvette. But that's no consolation for this family, left to mourn this unexpected loss.
James Moore,
"Everyone that knew her knew that she was a very friendly, outspoken person. I don't se the reason why anybody would have anything against her. She is not that type of person."
Police had detained Alma Woodeye on Saturday but late this evening she was released without being charged. They have ruled the death as an accident.
