Turning now to crime news - a mason was found floating in a creek Sunday afternoon in the capital; he was stabbed to death after a minor dispute. Jomarie Lanza went west to find out more about this latest murder.
In the heart of The San Martin area, Belmopan, just a few feet away from the roadside, the body of 42 year old Elmer Canto was fished out from a running creek frequented by residents who would go down to the creekside to wash.
It created quite a stir on Sunday afternoon, as images of Canto's bleeding body quickly made their way onto social media.
The question lingers though as to how he ended up in the water, and why anyone would want to harm him.
According to one resident who lives beside the creek, Canto was not alone. Hours before his body was found, he was in the company of several others by the creek side:
Cynthia Alvarado, Resident
"It was yesterday Sunday around 1 to 1:30 Pm. Actually I just saw when everybody was out here even though the police were already out here the body was lying in the water. That's what I saw and heard because I didn't hear anything else before that."
Jo
"You told me earlier that your grandmother said that she heard people arguing by the creek?"
Cynthia Alvarado, Resident
"Yes she said they were arguing so she came out and told them no arguing because she doesn't want a fight to occur so everybody went after that. She says she saw everyone going but she didn't see what happened. She just went back inside because her sight is not very well so she wasn't able to see everyone who was there."
Jo-
"So when you came out he was already in the creek?"
Cynthia Alvarado, Resident
"Yes he was already in the creek he was laying upside down all his face and everything was under the water. His feet and hands were already white. He was all pale already."
A police report says he was socializing with a group who was barbecuing down at the creek side, and got into a heated argument with Monica Flores, over a piece of meat. Manuel Sandoval, who was passing by at the time, attempted to break up the argument, and allegedly ended up stabbing Canto to the right side of his chest.
ACP Hilberto Romero, OC Eastern Division
"Information received is that Elmer Canto was involved in a fight with Manuel Sandoval who inflicted a fatal stab wound injury to him."
"The deceased was having a dispute with one Monica Flores and this person Manuel intervened and that is what led to the stabbing."
It didn't take long for the news to spread through the neighborhood, and Canto's younger brother was the first in the family to learn what had become of his sibling.
Jeromie Canto, Brother of Deceased
"I was at home when they came to call me. I wasn't expecting it, they told me, the neighbors told me that it looks like your brother is over there. I think it's him. So I grabbed my bike and went to see and when I arrived the police were there doing their investigation and everything and I went closer to try and recognize him and it was him. I'm shocked and I'm sad because they took his life just like that."
Jo
"And do you know what he was doing by the Creek?"
Jeromie Canto, Brother of Deceased
"No because that early morning I didn't see him when I woke up, he already went out. When they came to tell me it had already happened. I only saw him the day before."
"According to the police, I was not there but according to the police some of his friends say that there was an argument between them and someone, one of them took out a knife and stabbed him so for now the investigation is still going on but I don't really know how it ended I already went and the police told me that an investigation is still going on so we are just waiting for more information."
Police detained Sandoval and found him carrying a knife with an eight inch blade. He is now being held pending a murder charge.
Canto leaves behind two daughters.
