A family is left to endure their worst nightmare after 13 year old Magezi Miller drowned yesterday.
It happened when he was fishing and only two days after returning home from visiting his mother in the US.
Jaleeza Roberts went west and got a better picture of the young life lost.
First form students at Belize Christian Academy will return to school tomorrow, but they will do so with the absence of one of their beloved classmates. As his chair remains vacant and his May birthday will be but a memory on the bulletin board, Police are investigating the apparent drowning of thirteen-year-old Magezi Miller, a student, musician and promising youth from Valley of Peace Village in the Cayo District.
He drowned near his family home on Sunday:
ASP Stacy Smith, Police Staff Officer
"Police are investigating the apparent drowning of Magezi Miller, a 13 year old student of Valley of Peace village, Cayo district which occurred sometime around 2:00Pm on 4th January 2026. The investigation has so far disclosed that the young Mr Miller was reported to have been playing in a pond of water that is located on the family's property and when the father called out for him he got no response. The father then made checks in the pond and that is when the young Mr Miller was discovered he was transported to the hospital for medical attention however efforts to resuscitate him did not prove successful. The body of Magezi Miller now awaits a post mortem examination."
The news has sent shockwaves through Magezi's school community, where he was described as a bright and respectful student with a promising future.
Alfredo Acosta, Acting Principal - Belize Christian Academy
"He's a very bright student and well-behaved, very respectful, he's a promising student, loved by everyone, loved by his classmates and his teachers, and so we greatly Miss him."
"We were in shock. We were in unbelief. We really didn't believe it in the first instance, but I called the parent just to find out and he confirmed the happenings to me."
"Students are going to be here tomorrow and so we will have sessions, open sessions for them to visit the counselor in her office."
Beyond the classroom, Magezi was also an active member of the Panerrifix Junior Steel Band, where his talent and dedication left a lasting impression.
Edlin Lorenzo, Director of the Panerrifix Junior Band
"One day one day I was teaching and I saw Two kids and a man. And then I went to talk to them and he was telling me, oh, I heard about the steel band from this person. Someone in the Miss and Ketch band. They asked if they could join. I said, of course, because we had space for both of them, him and his sister, Mugisa. And from there, they went up. They're very talented kids, and that's one thing I can say, they're fast learners."
"He will always, he will always be a part of the Panerrifix. No matter in the afterlife, present day, he will always be remembered as a member of the Panerrrifix band."
Jaleeza Roberts -
"What was the reaction when the band members found out that he passed away last night?"
Edlin Lorenzo, Director of the Panerrifix Junior Band
"I haven't broken it to his peers yet. But for me, when I found out, it was really heartbroken because Nothing can prepare you for news like this. And I tried hard not to believe it because practice resumes next week. All I can say is that practice won't be the same because it will be like there's a missing piece of a whole puzzle."
Police investigations into the incident continue, while family, friends, classmates, and bandmates mourn the loss of a young life gone too soon. Jaleeza Roberts, 7 News.
His school will be organizing memorial activities to honor his life.
