Family of Belmopan Kidnapping Victim Speaks Out, The Latest from Police

A family of four from Belmopan has been charged with the kidnapping and assault of a twenty-three-year-old pregnant woman, leaving her hospitalized in severe pain. Police discovered the woman during an operation at the home of a pastor, where she was allegedly held captive by her husband’s family after attempting to leave the marriage. Today, forty-five-year-old Luis Tiul Sr., his son twenty-four-year-old Luis Tiul Jr., Tiul Sr.’s wife, forty-three-year-old Elizabeth Tiul, and fifty-nine-year-old Matilda Games were arraigned in Belmopan Magistrates Court and denied bail. They have been remanded to Belize Central Prison until January 22, 2025.

Wilmer Cruz, the victim’s brother, recounted the shock he felt upon learning of the ordeal his sister endured. Their family had believed that her marriage to the pastor’s son would provide stability, but they were horrified when police found her bound, injured, and left in inhumane conditions. Cruz described the relationship as initially positive, a union that had even brought the couple a child. However, Cruz shared that his mother contacted him with disturbing news, leading him to rush to the hospital, where he found his sister in terrible condition. “I find her in a condition like when you torture somebody, kidnap somebody and find them in a room, like a movie scene. ,” Cruz said. “Her hands all burned, swollen, her feet scarred like they were tied.”

Cruz expressed his distrust of the entire family, stating, “All of them look like they have the same vibe and the same mentality…because they don’t think, they just act.”