Buena Vista – it is a small village in the far western reaches of the Cayo district – and it should be a quiet place – but it isn't; there is a very sick killer on the loose. Proof of that lies in the fact that three men have been found with their heads cut off in the past year.
The first was found on May 19, 2009 – and two others were found on Sunday. 21 year old Jairo Fidel Garcia, and 75 year old Jose Orellana – both Guatemalans were found decapitated on at 10:20 am. Both their heads had been cut off with a machete. Officer Commanding Cayo ACP Paul Wade discussed this frightening case.
ACP Paul Wade
"Yesterday at around 10:20am the Police visited a farm located approximately 3 miles away from Buena Vista Village. On that farm two decapitated bodies were found. They have been identified as 21 years old Byron Garcia and 75 years old Jose Ariano. They are both Guatemalan nationals that were residing in Buena Vista Village."
Jules Vasquez
"Now did you all look for the heads?"
ACP Paul Wade
"The investigation continues. So far the heads have not been located. We are still looking into that."
Jules Vasquez
"Are these men known to have been the target of any criminal conspiracies or were they know to have been involved in anything illicit, nefarious, underworld?"
ACP Paul Wade
"No, we don't have any such information at this time. They were regular laborers who were living on that farm. The motive of this crime is unknown at this point in time and so I want to call on villagers from around that area to work along with us."
Jules Vasquez
"Four people have been detained?"
ACP Paul Wade
"We have several people in custody that we are questioning at the moment. No one has been charged in connection with this incident. But we are talking with several people."
Jules Vasquez
"Do any of these people have a known criminal history? Have any of them been charged for heinous acts before?"
ACP Paul Wade
"One of those persons was charged for a similar incident in that village just about a year ago. But due to the fact that there was no eyewitness that person was released."
Jules Vasquez
"Do you suspect that being you cannot find the heads or they cannot be accounted for at this time, is there any suspicion that some ritualistic behavior may have been involved?"
ACP Paul Wade
"Well, we cannot discard anything when we are investigating, the Police Department cannot discard anything. "
They were last seen alive by the farm owner on the afternoon of Friday 7th May. Both bodies were in the initial stage of decomposition.
A post mortem found that both had been decapitated with a machete.
The family of Garcia directly accused other residents of the village – based on an ongoing rivalry - and those persons have been detained.
In the case that happened last year a 27 year old Guatemalan farmer was decapitated and then burnt up at a farm shed in the area of Buena Vista Village. The man accused of that crime, Victor Vargas was recently released from prison after the DPP's office found that there was insufficient evidence. The head was also not found in that case.
