58-Year-Old Camalote Resident Found Dead, Wrapped in Blanket

A fifty-eight-year-old resident of Camalote Village was killed about a mile away from his home in that western community. Belhem Guzman, a father of three, was last seen on Thursday. His family grew concerned on Friday when they were unable to locate him. They made a Facebook post seeking public assistance to locate him and on Sunday morning a search party located his badly decomposed body off the side of the George Price Highway. Guzman’s body was found wrapped in a blanket with multiple stab and chop wounds. His murder has left the family and community in shock as they question who would want to hurt him. News Five’s Paul Lopez travelled west today. He filed the following report.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

The lifeless body of fifty-eight-year-old Belhem Guzman was found wrapped in a blanket in some bushes off the side of the George Price Highway. His hands were tied behind his back. His feet were also bound. Investigators found multiple stab and chop wounds on his body.

 

Telford Guzman, Brother of Deceased

“He dah somebody weh guh dah my house everyday or when ih want to miss. Thursday one of my daughter took food for him around six o’clock and he was not home> So when I come in like around after nine ten, I understand that some food the deh for ah, so I decided to take some food for him. When I reach ih house, cause he nuh got electricity. So I usually use my phone light. When I shout after him he would answer woi. So I decided the night, I would not shout for him. When I start to spot about the light I didn’t see him in so I gone back home.”

 

The following day, Telford stopped by but did not find his brother at home. His daughters also passed by and did not find him at home. That’s when the family grew concerned and took to social media to seek public assistance with locating Belhem Guzman.

 

Telford Guzman

“He always been seen and when nobody respond back and say they don’t see him we get concerned, because when nobody the see him something wrong. And my sister said we have to start to look. We get out the Sunday morning and some pf us went all the way to Armenia, because he have a daughter live down the road and some people said this and that and we really couldn’t understand what happened. And about after twelve to one my sister call me back and said they ground the man. When she said they find the man, she couldn’t talk to me, because it sounded like a hollering, like deh the bawl. So I continue the call the phone, but my siter in law pick up the phone and said they found the man. I asked, dead or alive. She said, dead, the body done the decompose.  So, we just gone pan the site and when I see the situation of the man I knew it was a terrible thing, that somebody. I believe it is young people, but I nuh the stress pan that. The man tie up in a blanket. He does carry his bedding out, those are not his bedding. So from the time we saw that we knew he was murdered and the situation he was in. I looked at him. I didn’t get a full scene, but what I understand he was tied up. I also get fuh understand that his neck was cut.”

Telford Guzman believes that his brother was killed in a senseless act perpetrated by a group of young men in the area. He described Belhem Guzman as free-spirited with a colorful personality. One video obtained by News Five shows the deceased in a jovial mood, singing.

 

Telford Guzman

“In the village here, the provoked him by calling him a little nick name then yeah he have an action. But it is not like his action was… He get so much damage in his life, hundreds of damage and he never try respond to any of them. People do him crazy things and he never tried challenge it or make noise. We know he was not a person of violence.”

 

Paul Lopez

“A tough guy and I remember a time when a snake bit his finger, he chopped off his own finger to save himself.”

 

Telford Guzman

“Right over there by those coconut tree, he was getting coconut and he said a snake bit him and he cut off one of his middle finger and deh bway does always tell ah dah cock spur stin ah, but I believe the man see the snake and do that.”

 

Today, Telford and other relatives and friends were inside the Camalote Cemetery preparing a tomb for Belhem Guzman’s burial.

Telford Guzman

“When we see that situation that is not knockdown, that is cruelty that dah murder. We the try keep piece and we wah do what we have to do and hope for a better day, that is all.”

 

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.