And while the cause of her death is yet to be determined, a man who was found dead in Belama Phase 4 on Sunday, is now thought to have been murdered.
That's according to his father who late this evening told us that his son, 35-year old Gilbert Martinez, may have been targeted by his own neighbors.
It's devastating news that Gilbert Martinez Sr. heard while he was still in Dangriga burying his fiance, today he rushed back to the city where he'll have to plan yet another funeral.
Gilbert Martinez, Father of Deceased
"Yesterday I heard a news that they found a body in Belama. I had no idea who it was, but I have people in Belama. When I heard that nobody couldn't get in contact with my son. He usually comes at his mother or his grandmother every Sunday and he didn't come yesterday and all up to last night they were calling me. Before the police could confirm the body, my people had already confirmed, because people know him and they go in Belama at the house where he usually is. The same family the police picked up, they don't have anything to do with it. They are family. Those boys would never do that. I got a lot of understanding from different sources that it was some Spanish people killed my son. I am not certain, but from I heard he was chopped up, Spanish like machete. Black man would have shot him. The hole it left in the family it's hard to explain, because he was my mom prize child, it hurts my mom a lot and I don't play with my mom. I don't have any intention to do anything, but the hurt they place on my mom and my family, I feel the pain. Besides that, in Garifuna they say "everything is in order." We are not are not worrying about anything, we don't want revenge, but we want the police to do their job. My son died in front of their house and he is there for days. How they will not report a dead body in front of their house. It has to be they have something to do with it. They know. The police need to do their job."
But Gilbert's family members aren't the only people who will miss him; his death has also had a devastating effect on his neighbor.
She says she heard the commotion but fearing for her own life shut the door in fear on the night he was attacked.
Natalie Hope, Neighbor
"The night when I came out, I was frightened, because I didn't expect in that hard rain, he would be out there to fix the light, It wasn't him alone, there were others because the walking in the water doesn't sound like 2 foot steps, it sounded like more than one. Anyways, when I look and I see the light flashing on me like he is watching me, I got frightened, because I heard someone dash from behind him, so I ran inside and I lock my door. I regret I ran inside and lock the door, because if I had stayed, I don't know if my neighbors, Spanish people who like problems, they like machete and say they will kill anyone and go back to their hometown. I don't know if they had seen me or they didn't, but I got afraid, like someone is coming to attack me, the way how the action happened quick and fast."
"On Sunday I got up and when I saw police going at the back there. When we went at the back, we saw like something happening at the back, maybe drugs or guns or something they are looking for. So my husband say Natalie come this side and then I look down in the water, there was a body. We are right here and we didn't know a body was there. Afterwards I smell this thing stinks, so I say this thing smells like a long-time death. I didn't know it was my neighbor. I got to realize it's my neighbor when my other neighbor, they arrest her common-law for nothing, so she come in the evening and she say that she has a sad news to tell me, she say that the body that was down there was Gilly, I said what, it was Gilly. I don't believe."
Reporter
"How do you feel now about your family's security in this area?"
Natalie Hope, Neighbor
"We haven't slept. Everybody back here is traumatized. As I twist and turn, I think something is happening. I don't feel comfortable anymore."
Natalie also told us that Gilbert's death may just be a case of mistaken identity due to the fact that his cousin, who is currently locked up for questioning in connection to his death, had been threatened two weeks before.
