The country remains in shock following a horrific triple murder in Monkey River Village in the Toledo District.

Curtis Molina, now in custody, is accused of killing three family members and leaving a young child injured.

The victims include Elvis Garbutt Sr., Emerita Garbutt, their toddler-aged son, Elvis Jr., and their daughter, who was shot but survived.

In an interview with Elvis’s mother, Enid Garbutt, she described the moments before the shooting. “Yesterday evening I met one of my cousins, Michelle Cuervas, and I was coming from home, and she said to me, ‘Enid, try to get Elvis gyal because Curtis came on the road with a gun and so much cartridge.’ So I went home, and I got on my phone, and I tried calling Elvis, and I couldn’t get them,” she said.

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When she arrived at the scene with her daughter, Garbutt found two of the children covered in blood.

“She told my daughter, ‘Aunty, please help me. Curtis shot my mom, my brother, and my dad,” Enid said.

While police continue to investigate the motive for the deadly shooting, the relatives of the victims have their theories.

“From the time they told me that Curtis was on the road with a gun, I done got a feeling that it was my son he was after because my son had a little money on him to go buy his skiff tomorrow, and he knew about it,” Enid stated. Elvis was reportedly set to make a payment of $3,000 towards the skiff tomorrow.

The police are currently on the ground processing the scene.

Molina was captured not far from the village while approaching the coast in a dory. The victims were found late Saturday night in a vehicle on a feeder road. Inside, they discovered the bodies of a woman, her toddler, and a dog, all with gunshot wounds. A short distance away, they located the woman’s husband, also fatally shot.

ComPol Williams confirmed that a surviving female child, who had sustained gunshot injuries, was found at the scene. She was quickly transported to Southern Regional Hospital and is reportedly recovering.

“Police have learnt that the victims were travelling in their vehicle on their way home when they were ambushed by Curtis Molina, who opened fire on them with a shotgun,” stated Commissioner Williams.