It has all the underpinnings of a drug hit as late week a watchman on one of Turneffe's Islands was tortured and murdered. 38-year-old Francis Longsworth, who was a watchman for a camp on Turneffe Island, was tied and shot three times to his head. One of those shots blew off an entire side of his face. Longsworth was also stabbed multiple times in his upper body and if all that wasn't enough, his killers then sliced off the skin from around his knee and ankle, leaving only the bone.
Police aren't confirming it but given the sheer brutality of it, street knowledge says that this was a drug hit. Longsworth left for Turneffe Island on Thursday and that was the last day he was seen alive. Longsworth's friend and boss is Edmund Ford who headed out to the island last night after receiving reports that "Cunu," as they called Longsworth, was missing. He described the grisly scene and told us that Longsworth wasn't involved with drugs.
Edmund Ford, Found Body
"They interrogated the man, they chanced the man out of his life. They tied him up, shot him, and all it for nothing because they didn't get anything. They got nothing.
When I got into the camp I didn't see anything. As my friend got into the camp he saw some blood and thing on the floor. We knew something went wrong and we started to look around the place and we found him about 100 yards away from the camp in some bush. The man was dead with his hands tied up with some raincoat strap, my raincoat strap. Who did know they did it and they will watch the news and they will see. They know what they did. We won't worry about anything because the almighty isn't sleeping. He will do his part and if I can do my part, I will do my part too, same way."
Keith Swift,
Police are saying this could be drug related. Your response?
Edmund Ford,
"Well that is what everybody will say, it is over drugs. Local people, the first thing they will say is that it must be over drugs."
Keith Swift,
Was it?
Edmund Ford,
"Well as far as I know we don't have anything. We don't have any drugs. All we have are some lobster traps and that is what we work hard and earn our money off of. But then people see you living and thing and they don't know the tribulation you go through to live. But they see you come to town and because you spend a little money and thing, they feel that something is going on. But nothing is going on, it is your hard sweat and labor which you put out there, that you are trying to enjoy. But it is like people don't want us to live so. So I guess they want to see us pick up a gun and start rob and kill people just like them because those are the only choices."
Keith Swift,
How should we remember Francis?
Edmund Ford,
"Man he was like my little brother. I can't even explain to you how to remember my dawg because it just trips me dog...I don't even want to say anything else."
Due to the advanced state of decomposition, the family transported Longsworth's body into the city today and it was buried immediately.
Suspected Bandit in Police Custody
Last week, we told you that two of the western bandits who had been terrorizing tourism destinations in western Belize had been caught in Guatemala. Well, we don't know how, but tonight one of them is now in Belize, detained by local police. He was positively identified in an I.D. parade today and could be charged by the end of the week.
