And while McClaren was shot in front of his mother. The mother of another man, Raphael Garrido, had spent almost two weeks in search of her son, only to find out that he had been murdered and buried in an off-road shallow grave.
And today after a canceled postmortem, Garrido's family spoke to us to demand the release of his body. They hope to confirm the manner and time of his death but they're also hoping to be allowed to properly mourn.
He'd been missing from his Ladyville home for almost two weeks, and yesterday Raphael Garrido's body was found in a shallow grave just off the Hummingbird Highway near Belmopan.
This afternoon we spoke to his mother Adrianna who shared the information she's been able to string together about the day her son died.
Adrianna Sanker, Raphael Garrido's mother
"Well I was informed that while they were coming back from Orange Walk after whatever they were doing that they were followed by a red Car, whereby when they reached certain location on that highway they stopped and came off that vehicle and when the young man that was with him went and came back as he reach the area he lift the hood for the vehicle and he was waiting for my son and a red car approached him and policeman was inside the vehicle. That was when they took him, the young man that was with my son to the Hattieville police station and so far in no way they have never confirmed that yes he was there but within themselves they talk and I overheard them say that yes the young man that was with my son was at the Hattieville police station."
"He was accompanied by another young man, which that person said went along with me to the Ladyville police station where we made our report, that's how I know what transpired on the road and what actually happened to my son."
We got the police's take from Superintendent Alejandro Cowo in an impromptu press brief this morning.
Alejandro Cowo, SUPT. Alejandro Cowo, Head CIB, Belize City
"Yesterday at about 9:30 police received information from some persons who were dumping in that area and they visited an area on the Hummingbird highway between miles 51 and 52 where on a shallow grave they found a decomposed body. The body had the clothing and appearance as to the body that was reported missing on the 3rd of February by the Garrido family of Ladyville, so far a positive identification has not been done yet but based on the clothing and some tattoos that the person has it resembles that of Garrido. Well that is something that we are trying to establish from the very first day that a report was made, the person that accompanied him to Orange Walk. He was in police custody and he was questioned and he was later released due to the information that he had provided for us. But from since then police have conducted searches along with the family on the Philip Goldson Highway."
The family admits that Raphael was a drug dealer but says that he wasn't violent and didn't deserve a violent death.
Naomi Matura, Cousin of the deceased
"We aren't ashamed of the game and we won't hide it but you could never say. Patrick goes to anybody's house to shoot up, you'd never hear about Patrick in any war ile to say hurt anybody on the street, none of that."
"When they found the body yesterday they didn't take any of the family members on the scene and all of us were at the station, that's foul play. They told us today that we would do the postmortem. We had already lined up vehicles to take everybody who needs to go to Corozal. This is not a little bit of money a sorry for the word, we need to take care of him. What are they doing? How come we can't see the body up until right now you understand that is past fool."
"From here down we saw his body, not even a scar is on the body. They said they hit him, the chopped him, and the shot him because we saw from his shoulders to his waist and no scar was on him."
And while Cowo says that the identification of the body is yet to be confirmed, Adrianna Sanker is convinced that it is her son.
Adrianna Sanker, Raphael Garrido's mother
"That is my son. My son has been missing since then how come this body that they found is recent. This person they recently killed him, because they couldn't even move from that spot if he died from then but where is the police where is the assistance? I am a single mother and I'm still standing here strong for my son, regardless of what I will fight to the end. I need justice for my son."
The family has retained an activist to pursue their grievance in the case.
