Investigators say They were Killed by an Ambulance Driver 

Ambulance driver Josh Barrillas has been charged with two counts of manslaughter by negligence and two counts of causing deaths by careless conduct. This is in connection to a traffic accident that occurred on February 20, 2023, near the Beaver Dam Bridge in St. Matthews Village, Cayo, and killed two persons.

The victims, 42-year-old Salvadoran national from Harmonyville and 21-year-old Joana Samoza of Cotton Tree Village, were riding a motorcycle along the George Price Highway when an ambulance rear-ended them. The pair had just finished work, and Ayala was giving Samoza a ride home when the accident occurred. Barrillas was driving the ambulance.

At the time of the incident, Barrillas claimed he did not see the motorcycle in the poorly lit area.

The impact of the collision threw Ayala onto the road, where he died instantly. Samoza was flung over the bridge into the gully below, also resulting in her death.

Both victims were transported to the Western Regional Hospital, where they were pronounced dead on arrival.

Barrillas was reportedly transporting a patient from Belize City to the Western Regional Hospital at the time of the accident.