Death - Channel 5 Belize

Families Mourn Three Revere Women Found Dead in Belize Resort

The families of three female tourists found dead at a San Pedro resort on Saturday are grieving their tragic loss. Twenty-three-year-old Kaoutar Naqqad, twenty-four-year-old Imane Mallah, and twenty-six-year-old Wafae El-Arar were found dead in their suite at the Royal Kahal Beach Resort. Their families are in contact with the U.S. Embassy, which is assisting with the investigation. Police Commissioner Chester Williams stated that a pathologist estimated they had been dead for up to 20 hours before being found. The women, of Moroccan descent with U.S. citizenship, were discovered by hotel staff after failing to respond to housekeeping. While no signs of injury were reported, authorities suspect a possible drug overdose due to vomit and froth found around their mouths. However, Mallah’s family told our colleagues at WCVB Boston that they don’t believe that they overdosed.

Muhammed Mallah, Father of Imane Mallah

“My wife talk to my daughter, no call..nothing. After two-thirty p.m. the embassy called me (telling) me that my daughter is dead. What happened? I don’t know if she died in the room, hotel. After that, I don’t know what happened. He came back to my house, her spoke to the other girls parents. Three people, same room, happy birthday vacation. This is not a problem. They are good friends, the best.”

Hajar El Khalfaoui, Friend of Imane Mallah

“So she had spoken to me about wanting to take a vacation and Wafae end Kaoutar made they rest in peace were also very good friends of hers and she was looking for a while. Last year she wanted to go on vacation with her other group of friends but she wasn’t able to because she got sick so this was kind of her redemption. My reaction at first was that it is not true, that she sick sometimes and that she goes MIA on days on end. And it happens all the time where she will be in the hospital and she won’t speak to me for two or three days and then she will just let me know that she is okay, she is in the hospital. So when they first told me I thought it was just that because they hadn’t told me about Wafae end Kaoutar yet. Then when they said it was also three and they said it might be an overdose, I know that that’s not true and I know that that’s a lie because Iman was clean. She wasn’t doing anything. Wafae end Kaoutar would never. The three of the would not die if that is the case. Iman, she is a very smart girl. She knows not to do that. She knows not to put her friends who she loves so much in that situation. There have been times where Iman when I graduated she didn’t want me to go to a party, she didn’t want to go with me because there would be drinking there. That was the kind of person she was. So when they said that it was OD I will never believe that that’s true. I am going to remember her as my sister as my best friend. I will never forget her. Iman means faith in Arabic and I know that Iman is in heaven and I know that she is much happier. She loves so deeply. She felt everything so deeply and so this life wasn’t always that easy for her. I know that God took her because he loves her and she loves God so much. She loves her faith so much. And I know that she is home now.”

Three Women Found Dead in SP Hotel Room

The results of postmortem examinations and a police investigation are expected to reveal how three tourists tragically died in their San Pedro hotel room late last week. The women had checked into the resort for an unspecified stay on the island. They were last seen alive on Thursday night after returning from a private tour. On Saturday, resort staff found their bodies in their first-floor room. News Five’s Marion Ali went to San Pedro on Sunday to bring us this report.

Marion Ali, Reporting

The bodies of three friends—twenty-three-year-old Kaoutar Naqqad, twenty-four-year-old Imane Mallah, and twenty-six-year-old Wafae El-Arar, all originally from Morocco but now U.S. nationals—were found in their suite at the Royal Kahal Beach Resort on Coconut Drive in San Pedro just before noon on Saturday. They were last seen alive around seven PM on Thursday night, heading to their ground-floor room after a full day of touring the island. Bert Novak, the General Manager of the resort, told News Five that there were no signs that anything was wrong.

Marion Ali

”Can you say when they checked in if there was, it was only three of them or somebody else with them, if there was any forced entry in their room, anything like that?”

Bert Novak, General Manager, Royal Kahal Beach Resort

“ No, nothing at all. They came back from a tour, and they went back to the room, didn’t leave the room and then we checked that evening. That’s when we found them.”

Marion Ali

“So they went on a tour on what? Saturday?”

Bert Novak

“No, on Thursday. Thursday and Friday is when we went and checked on them on Saturday.”

Marion Ali

“They were supposed to check out?”

Bert Novak

“No, no. They’re supposed to check out on the 19th.”

Housekeeping staff at the resort grew worried on Saturday morning after getting no response to their repeated attempts to enter the room on both Friday and Saturday. Using a master key, they opened the room around 11:30 AM on Saturday and made a grim discovery. One woman was found in bed, while the other two were in different parts of the room. They reportedly had froth around their mouths, leading to suspicions of a possible drug overdose. However, General Manager Bert Novak couldn’t confirm this.

Bert Novak

“That’s what I heard as well, but until we get the autopsy report, we can’t say something official.”

Inside the suite, police discovered gummy bear candies, snacks, drinks, vapes, and electronic devices. Although the sight of three bodies being removed from the resort could have alarmed tourists and hurt business in the area, Katherine Hubbard, a local condo owner, praised the authorities for their efficient handling of the situation.

Katherine Hubbard, Neighbour

“We hardly didn’t even know what was going on because they were, they were so professional in how they handled it.”

Marion Ali

“You mean the police or the management?”

Katherine Hubbard

“Everybody was. We knew something was going on because we saw the ambulances, we saw the police, you know, but I think how everybody handled it was very professional. They kept it very confidential. I still don’t know exactly, you know, what’s going on.”

According to Novak, the incident hasn’t hurt business at the beach resort. However, management has provided counseling for the staff to help them cope.

Bert Novak

“Of course, everybody’s traumatized and I’m making arrangements for my staff to see somebody as a trauma person so they can talk to them because it’s unfortunate. It affects everybody.”

While the staff of the resort are distressed by the incident, Hubbard expressed sympathy for the families of the three women.

Katherine Hubbard

“I just pray for the families.”

Marion Ali for News Five.

ComPol Says Pathologist Called in to Assist Police at Scene

Today, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams informed reporters that the bodies of the three women showed no signs of foul play. He emphasized that the evidence gathered heavily relies on the pathologists’ input. Although gummies were found at the scene, Williams clarified that this doesn’t necessarily link them to the women’s deaths. The autopsy reports will be crucial in determining what the women consumed and what was in their stomachs. The gummy bears, not made in Belize, could have been brought in by the women or someone else. Forensic experts suggest the women could have been dead for up to twenty hours before being discovered. According to Williams, the women were supposed to leave Belize on Sunday, just a day after they were found dead.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“The bodies exhibited no signs of injuries. Police also saw inside the room what appeared to be vomit beside each female. They policed with a view to ensure that the scene was properly processed. I waited for the Scenes of Crime personnel to arrive as well as the pathologists. This is one of the cases where we invited the pathologists to come on the scene as well so that they could assist the police in navigating the scene with a view to see what can be found of evidential value. That was done. The police did a thorough search of the scene, along with the pathologists and Scenes of Crime and there was nothing of substance that could have been found, other than alcohol and some gummies. You may recall, a couple years ago, we had some gummies that were disposed of from the police exhibit room and they were found by somebody at the dumpsite and sold. And then we saw where some people who consume those gummies had to be rushed to the hospital. So we found some of those gummies inside the room. Now, we’re not saying at this time that the gummies caused the deaths, but we’re looking at every possibility. I know that today the postmortem examination is going to be conducted by the National Forensic Services, and we are anxiously awaiting that result to see if they will be able to unearth anything to assist us in determining the cause of death. There is also a theory that they could have died from carbon monoxide. And so, again, a test will be done, hopefully today or tomorrow, with the National Fire Service who have the equipment to test the level of carbon monoxide in a building. The police have also viewed this surveillance footage from the hotel that they were staying. And this surveillance footage showed that they went to the hotel room Thursday evening and they were not seen leaving that room again and nobody was seen going into the room. On Friday, the housekeeping department went to the room to do the usual housekeeping, but when they knocked on the door, no one answered and so they just left. And I think that is the norm because you know, they do have some guests who do not want their room to be cleaned. So they would not respond when housekeeping would go to check. And the following day, which was Saturday, the housekeeping department went again, to do housekeeping. They knocked on the door and got no response, and they became suspicious. So based on that, they reported the matter to management, and management got a master key to the room, opened the room, and that’s when they found the three females inside the room, motionless, and then the police were called. So, we’re trying to do as best as we can, including to see where they may have gone on Thursday before they went home, what, if anything, they consumed.”

Family of Belizean Who Died on Hospital Roof Files Lawsuit

The family of a Belizean woman who died under mysterious circumstances on a hospital rooftop in Waukegan, Illinois, is struggling to come to terms with her tragic death. Twenty-seven-year-old Chelsea Adolphus was found unresponsive, wearing only a medical gown, on the roof of Vista Medical Center last Thursday. Preliminary autopsy results released on Monday revealed she died of hypothermia due to cold exposure. Adolphus had been admitted to the hospital the day before for an unspecified medical issue and was discovered missing from her room that morning. She was found on the roof nearly seven hours later, with temperatures well below freezing. Despite the staff’s efforts to resuscitate her for fourteen hours, Adolphus was pronounced dead around eleven that night. The hospital has launched an investigation, but the family has already filed lawsuits against the facility. Today, Dayan Adolphus, Chelsea’s aunt, told News Five’s Marion Ali that they are in shock.

Yolanda Adolphus, Mother of Deceased

“She was sweet, she was friendly. She’s a kind person.”

Marion Ali, Reporting

Yolanda Adolphus, holding back tears, spoke about the vibrant personality of her only daughter, Chelsea. Now, she is demanding answers.

Yolanda Adolphus

“I’m sad, the way how my daughter’s death went and I want answers. I want they give me answers to know what happened to my daughter. Somebody needs to give me what happened to my baby who is gone and I will never get back my daughter.”

According to ABC News, a relative peered through one of the hospital windows and was shocked to see Chelsea lying on the rooftop. Civil Rights Attorney, Benjamin Crump has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the hospital on behalf of Chelsea’s family. Their claim centers on negligence, among other issues.

Benjamin Crump, Civil Rights Attorney

“This is a god-awful heartbreaking tragedy. We promise the family that we will get to the truth of what happened.”

Kevin Spiegel, the hospital’s CEO, stated that the staff began searching for Chelsea almost immediately after she was reported missing.

Kevin Spiegel, CEO, Vista Medical Centre

“We’re confident that the way the staff handled the situation was a hundred percent appropriate.”

Today, Dayan Adolphus, Chelsea’s aunt from Belize, shared with News Five that Chelsea had left Belize as a child and was planning to visit her this year.

Marion Ali

“You spoke about what?”

Dayan Adolphus, Aunt of Chelsea Adolphus

“Oh, we spoke about life, coming here to Belize, you know, and she’s like, “I want to come here,” you know, because she born in Cayo, so, she’s like, well, “Auntie, try, get ready that I’mma, come over there soon, and then you’ll get to know me more.”

While Dayan Adolphus mentioned that her niece struggled with depression, the specific medical condition that brought Chelsea to the hospital remains unclear. Marion Ali for News Five.

How Did 73-Year-Old Pedro Gonzalez Die?

Police are investigating the death of seventy-three-year-old Pedro Gonzalez, who was found face down in a shallow pool of water on Thursday night. Pedro was discovered by his son, James Romero, after he returned to their home in the Fresh Pond community. Initial investigations indicate that Romero died by drowning. News Five’s Britney Gordon had more details.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

After a long day of work, Burrell Boom resident, James Romero, was eager to get home and relax with his family. Instead of a calm evening, he had anticipated, Romero made a heartbreaking discovery- his father, Pedro Gonzalez, was lying dead in a pool of water.

James Romero, Son of Deceased

“ Basically when I arrived home yesterday I realized that none of my lights was on And I instantly began looking for him and healing him and I didn’t have any response of him. So I went looking around the yard when I located one of his shoes outside the pond. And I looked inside and I saw him floating in the water.”

Based on the scene, Romero says he knew something tragic had transpired, prompting him to contact the police instantly.

James Romero

“Basically, when I see him, I don’t see his body look stiff and things, so I don’t know if he’s unconscious already. So, immediately, I contacted the police.”

Britney Gordon

“And you said that the scene surrounding him was very strange because of some items that were scattered around?”

James Romero

“Well, everything may look strange to me because I find his wallet and his phone and one of his shoes outside of the water. So, I don’t really basically know what’s the issue, but I find it very weird.”

Gonzalez was found with blood pooling from his face, a side effect that may occur to a drowning victim. However, Police are still awaiting the results of the autopsy to determine the cause of death. Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, provided an update.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“The issue in Fresh Pond is an elderly citizen who was found in a motionless state, Police and the scenes of crime processed the scene. The body was examined and exhibited no signs of violence. The body is at the morgue, and we await a post-mortem examination to be able to determine a cause of death.”

Paul Lopez

“Any sort of troubling or has he been on you guys’ radar for any reports?”

Chester Williams

“No.”

Some speculate that Gonzalez may have been drinking, however, Romero revealed that his father wasn’t really a big drinker.

James Romero

“He didn’t went anywhere that day. So I don’t, don’t think he was drinking or anything. He actually don’t even like to drink. He don’t drink like that. He will take one beer or so now and again, but it’s very rare for him to take a drink. And he didn’t went anywhere. Like I told you that day, he was home all day.”

Romero and his family are still reeling from the shock and a feeling of unease has settled amongst them, as they ponder what could have led to Pedro’s death. According to Romero, his father was a hardworking man, just trying to make ends meet even in his old age.

James Romero

“My father was a strong old man. He get up every day and do his work at his age for 74 years that he have, he was very strong. He can still ride bicycle. He goes around do, do his little work and stop to survive.”

Romero acknowledges that his father’s death may have occurred due to his old age but is waiting for the authorities to make the final determination.

James Romero

“He basically look like he mi di get weak and things certain times, so it could be that he fell in the water and so, but we’re not sure as yet.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.