Four Belizean men went together to Tulum, Mexico and only one returned - while the three others were reportedly shot and killed execution style on a beach. It's an unclear situation since Belizean police still have no concrete details, but the families of these men are already grieving their losses.
But what makes the story more mysterious is that their families had not seen them in weeks and believed them to be right here in Belize. Imagine their shock and dismay when the news of their alleged deaths broke last night.
The three men were from Corozal, and Courtney Menzies went up north to visit their loved ones. Here's her story.
A tangled web of lies has led to the reported execution of three Belizeans in Tulum, Mexico. Three bodies were found strewn on a beach in that resort village. And before last night's news broke, their families had no idea they had even left the country.
20-year-old Gladimir Eduardo Chable's mother said she thought her son was working in Cayo. She never thought he was calling from another country when he spoke to her husband on Father's Day.
Claudia Chable, Mother of Deceased
"(Spanish) I did not know that my son was in Mexico. What I understand is that he was in Cayo, that's what he told me. Until yesterday that we found out that he was there and that's all that my daughter in law called and told me because he spoke to his dad on Sunday and his dad asked him how he was and he said okay and he asked him when he would come back and he said he wasn't sure, that's all that he had told us."
Chable said her son had expressed that he wanted to go to Tulum for work, but she had begged him not to. Weeks after he arrived in Mexico, he only told his wife where he was.
Voice of: Claudia Chable, Mother of Deceased
"(Spanish) He didn't say anything he only told me that he was going to work in Tulum as a construction worker but I told him why since his father is already working construction here and he was making enough money. And he told me there was a big construction there and I told him no son, I don't want you to go, I don't like that. And so he stayed and he never mentioned it again. And it stayed like that. And then all of a sudden he came and told us that he's going to Cayo and he left and then he just called and he never said where he was, he never said that he was Tulum, he would always say he was in Cayo."
"(Spanish) He told her that he was there working to give his son a better life and she spoke to him yesterday and he told her he would give her a surprise when he comes and that's all we know about him."
And to her knowledge, her son wasn't well acquainted with the other three men he travelled with - Rayan Aquino and Chris Folgarait, who were also allegedly killed, and another man that came back to Belize a few days ago.
But she told us that Chable's wife was suspicious after she found strange texts on his phone from the only survivor from that trip.
Claudia Chable, Mother of Deceased
"(Spanish) Yes there are some messages, she has his password and she went in and saw the messages that he sent to Geno and Geno replied."
Reporter:
"And what did those messages say?"
Claudia Chable, Mother of Deceased
"Well he was saying that the boss wanted to see him because he has a debt with him and he answered him that he doesn't know when he will be back. From there I don't know what happened."
And 24-year-old Rayan Aquino's grandmother said just as much - that she has no idea what happened since she believes her grandson was in Placencia. Aquino had been employed at the waterpark in Corozal but recently lost his job and was in financial trouble. But he hadn't told his family where exactly he was going.
Voice of: Mary Virginia Moody, Grandmother of Deceased
"He said he was going to work in Placencia and that's the last I know, about two weeks after he called me and told me he was working, from there I didn't hear from him."
"That is almost a month, so it wasn't something where he used to communicate often. So that's all I know and I'm right here waiting for news right now to tell me what happened and where he is, his whereabouts, I don't know."
But she doesn't believe he was involved in any illicit activity.
Mary Virginia Moody, Grandmother of Deceased
"Rayan is a nice person, my grandson is a nice person, very knowing person in Corozal. Everybody like Rayan so I don't believe anything about what they said about those cartels and those things. It just happen to be that he was in the wrong spot at the wrong time. So we here right now just waiting on more news to come in because the CIB and everybody done come see we and promise they will come give news later, I don't know nothing yet."
Chable's mother also said her son was a friendly, jovial person.
Claudia Chable, Mother of Deceased
"(Spanish) He was a young man, he was very happy, he was a radio announcer and Radio Bahia, he was a BDF also. He liked coming here to visit and he was a young man who got along with everyone, he was very happy, he never mad he was always happy and having fun, he was funny."
Little is known about the third victim, Chris Folgarait, as his family declined an interview. He was reportedly living out of his car in Corozal Town.
Chable leaves behind a one year old son. Folgarait was also a father of multiple children.
