On Saturday night, Ambassador, former Senator, former UDP Deputy Leader, and businessman Oscar Ayuso Jr. pointed his licensed 380 Beretta pistol to his left temple and pulled the trigger. One shot was fired and it was fatal. His wife Hamila Ayuso went to serve him for supper and found him dead. It was an apparent and shocking suicide that was confirmed yesterday by Police Pathologist Mario Estradabran. He discussed the post mortem results with me this afternoon.
Jacqueline Godwin,
“In the case of Oscar Ayuso Jr., was that as well a quick death?”
Dr. Mario Estradabran, Police Pathologist
“Yes. At the beginning it was a brain death. It was what we called a brain death. Immediately after that, there is a process of signs and symptoms of shock, meaning that all the organs start to go into failure and then as a consequence of that then the death is coming.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“So the way how he decided to shoot himself, there was no way he could have survived from this injury?”
Dr. Mario Estradabran,
“No, definitely not.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“How difficult is it for you as the pathologist to work on cases where suicide is involved?”
Dr. Mario Estradabran,
“Well it is really, it is a challenge. Any case, any forensic case is a challenge because all of them are different. All the cases are different. I am dealing with so many suicide cases but all of them have special particularities and that also depends on if the subject was a right handed or left handed or what kind of weapon used etc. etc. So all the cases are different.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“But while you’re looking at your cases, you must have troubling questions going through your mind as to why this individual would decide to take this route.”
Dr. Mario Estradabran,
“Okay to answer you that question, we may never understand the mind of a suicidal victim. We may never understand what they are thinking about prior to doing the act.”
Oscar Ayuso Jr. was reportedly deep in debt and facing eviction. He was married with two children. He was Belize’s Ambassador to the Holy Seas and the Honorary Consul of Sweden. As such, there will be an official funeral tomorrow at the Divine Mercy Catholic Church. It starts at 2.
