Today, Stella Maris School held a candlelight vigil for staff, students, and parents. Attendees wore blue to honor both autism awareness and Gabriel Orellano’s life. One attendee described the event as deeply sad and reflective. News Five also spoke with a witness, a sanitation worker, who saw Orellano running down Freetown Road. He mentioned that three teachers passed by and asked if he had seen the child, and he directed them down the road.
Voice of: David Henkis
Voice of: David Henkis, Sanitation Worker
“Ih the run and ask if ih pass me, I tell ah yes Ih just gone up suh,ih gone straight up Freetown. So, after that, a next lady, mussy bout five or ten minutes, said you nuh see a lee young bway run pass unu. I said, ih just run straight pass Western Dairies and gone up suh the jog. We mih want stop ah because we know dah something wrogn and the bus usually carry them and they don’t usually come out of the compound like that. We didn’t stop him because we see two persons, two Spanish people and we mih feel like dah he mah or aunty. We the watch ah to, because deh mih deh behind ah and he the jog slow. But, we sih miss lady, the two lady gone suh and continue run. When miss lady come back ih seh, the third lady come back and seh we find ah. Ih never tell we how deh find ah. Dah when my coworker come and tell me that is the same young bway deh find at hangar drown. That weigh on my mind. I just mih want the father touch we so we could touch that little young bway as well. We cry and all, pan the real side. All ah we terrified, cause we could have done something at the same time. But dah when dah your time breds, I don’t know what to say.”
News Five has obtained new surveillance footage showing the final moments before six-year-old autistic student Gabriel Orellano tragically drowned in the hangar area. The death of this Stella Maris student has sent shockwaves across the country. We’ve heard from his relatives and an advocate for children with autism. The Minister of Education, Francis Fonseca, has also provided an update on the ministry’s investigation. But before we dive into that, we bring you these new videos from surveillance cameras near the hangar. The footage shows people nearby as Gabriel climbed onto the seawall and entered the water. It also captures the moment a group of people worked to recover his lifeless body and one man’s attempt to perform CPR. News Five’s Paul Lopez has the details.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
On Tuesday night, News Five shared surveillance videos that traced the heartbreaking journey of six-year-old Gabriel Orellano, an autistic student. The footage shows Gabriel’s path from in front of Puma Gas Station to the sidewalk near Midtown Restaurant. He had left his school, Stella Maris, undetected on Monday. Several cameras captured his movements, starting at 12:43 p.m. on the busy Freetown Road and continuing until 1 p.m. on Princess Margaret Drive.
With the help of Gabriel’s family, News Five obtained footage showing the moments he arrived at the hangar area and the tragic scene when his lifeless body was pulled from the sea just minutes later. We warn viewers that the following video may be disturbing. At 1:09 p.m., Gabriel turned off Princess Margaret Drive onto St. Edwards Street, heading towards the sea. He went from running to walking as he got closer to the water. Another camera angle captured him walking towards the seawall in the hangar area. Gabriel slowed down as he approached the end of the road, then climbed onto the seawall and disappeared behind a parked bus.
Five minutes later, two individuals exited their vehicle and walked towards the bus. The woman in the video then made a phone call. At 1:16 p.m., six minutes after Gabriel was last seen behind the bus, his lifeless body was spotted floating in the sea. The same two individuals were visibly distressed by what they saw. By 1:19 p.m., a group of six people were at the scene, working to recover Gabriel’s body. He was pulled from the water eight minutes after he was last seen on camera. Despite efforts to perform CPR, he could not be resuscitated. Gabriel’s family told News Five that seeing his final moments has given them some closure. However, there are still many questions about how the autistic child managed to leave a school dedicated to special needs children undetected and why no one intervened to help him, even though he was running along busy streets for nearly forty minutes. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
Today, the community expressed outrage at the public who were along the route that little Gabriel Orellano ran on Monday afternoon before his body was found in the Caribbean Sea near the ‘Hangar.’ As shown on News Five’s Tuesday evening broadcast, several surveillance cameras captured the young boy running through traffic. While reports indicate that a few people tried to stop him at various points, no one was able to catch him. News Five’s Marion Ali spoke with a mother who attempted to detain Gabriel when she saw him running. She is heartbroken that she couldn’t save him, and the community is disappointed in those who did nothing to help. Here’s that report.
Gabriel Pablo Orellano
Marion Ali, Reporting
The video of six-year-old Gabriel Pablo Orellano running through the busy streets from Princess Margaret Drive, down Freetown Road, onto Kelly Street, and Marine Parade during Monday’s lunch hour traffic has left many residents outraged. They’re furious because no one stopped to check on Gabriel, take him into custody, and hand him over to the authorities. Less than an hour after these images were captured, his body was found floating in the sea near the ‘Hangar.’ Gabriel, a child with special needs, was failed by those who saw him running and did nothing to help. This inaction has particularly upset Kezia Young, a mother of a child with special needs.
Kezia Young
Kezia Young, Concerned Resident
“Soh much people mi deh it out deh, watch this lee bwai deh middle street, middle street! And if unu mi even care as wa society, unu mi wa realize in deh eena wa Stella Maris uniform. Anybody weh know weh Stella Maris School is about, Stella Maris school is a school – da nuh, fi quote-unquote, retarded picnic. Unu get da idea outta unu head one time. It’s for differently abled kids. It’s for kids who have issues hearing, kids who have issues seeing, kids who have intellectual issues. And a lot of people like to stereotype Stella Maris School. They stereotype the school so much that at least a six-year-old boy in his uniform can run down the damn street and get himself hurt because absolutely nobody stops, absolutely nobody stops and address the lee bwai.”
News Five spoke with Brittney Banks, who tearfully recounted how she tried to chase after Gabriel but couldn’t keep up with him. Banks explained that she was at home when she saw Gabriel running past her house.
Voice of: Brittney Banks
Voice of: Brittney Banks, Kelly Street Resident
“ What caught my attention was a little boy in middle street and a delivery guy say “Spanish, weh yoh gwein?” So I come downstairs and I look out and when I look out and I realize that he was in a Stella Maris uniform. I left my house and I walked down the lane and by the time I reached the lane by the school on Wilson Street, I saw him already past the Sister Cecilia’s Home. At that same time a guy was passing on a bicycle, and I tell her, catch that little boy, he run with somebody. He was already by Mexican Embassy, going to the direction of Moe’s.”
Banks said she initially turned back and went home, but when an employee from Stella Maris School came by a few minutes later asking about the child, she realized something was seriously wrong and sprang into action.
Voice of: Brittney Banks
“I’m not sure if it was a teacher or security, but I think it’s a helper at the school. She came looking for the little boy. She couldn’t even breathe good because she looked like she was running. So I said, “Were you looking for the little boy?” And I explained to her the direction the little boy went. And I tell her, “Matter of fact, let me get my babies and I’ll take you in the car,” and we went looking. I tell her we’re going the same exact direction he went that I saw he went. So we went and we went to Moe’s, asked the girls inside. They say, yes, he just went so about thirty minutes ago. So I said, “Okay, thank you,” jumped in the vehicle and we drive to the park and I ask the security across the street, “Did you see the little boy?” He said “Yes, he went down more.” So we drive, we drive and I ask the young lady, I said, “What we’re going to do because we’re looking. She said, well, take me back to school. Let me check if someone caught him because it was more than one teachers looking for him. So I dropped her back to school hoping come back, hoping that yes, they caught him.”
When the news broke later that afternoon about a child’s body being pulled from the sea, Banks realized it was the same little boy she had tried to save. She admitted feeling a deep sense of guilt.
Voice of: Brittney Banks
“It hurt me thinking what should I have done more if it was only me, could I have gone further. If it was only me, should I have to go farther looking for him?”
This morning, we hit the streets to gather opinions, and everyone we spoke with echoed Kezia Young’s sentiment: those who stood by and did nothing are to blame for Gabriel’s tragic death.
Voice of: Edward Sanchez, Concerned Resident
“If it was me and I see the kid di run, I mi wa put in my effort and not only put in my effort, I mi wa meke sure that I stop him, run up a bike or car and go ahead and ask him what di happen. And when you hear he can’t respond, you take him to the police station or back to the school because he’s got a uniform.”
Linda Tillett
Linda Tillett, Concerned Resident
“ They should have wa lee consideration and just hold ah, grab ah. Two person could grab dale bwai man. He nuh that strong, you understand? So, I’m so sorry for her about it and my condolences go to the family.”
Voice of: Anthony Cruz, Concerned Resident
“Goh fi the lee bwai. That shouldn’t have happened. That da weh bother me bout the whole thing there. It shouldn’t have happened. Everybody at fault when ih come to the lee boy deh.”
The Ministry of Education and the police are currently investigating the matter. Marion Ali for News Five.
In the aftermath of Gabriel’s tragic death, the Belize National Teachers Union (B.N.T.U.) has rallied behind Stella Maris School. In a press release, the B.N.T.U. expressed unwavering support for the school’s teachers, pledging to provide the necessary counseling to help them cope with the shock and grief. The union emphasized that this incident does not reflect the true essence of Stella Maris School, which has long been a beacon of hope and education for some of Belize’s most vulnerable children. Despite the current sorrow, the school remains committed to its mission. Meanwhile, an investigation is underway to understand how Gabriel managed to leave the school grounds. Today, the Minister of Education, Francis Fonseca, met with Gabriel’s family and the school’s administration. Preliminary findings suggest that Gabriel exited through the main entrance.
Francis Fonseca
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education
“We’re working along with the Belize Police Department as well. The investigating officer is Detective McLaughlin and she joined me this morning at Stell Maris School, where I had an opportunity to meet with Pablo’s mother, his grandmother, and his aunt. I will meet with his father and members of his father’s family later today but we had an opportunity to speak with them, to respond as best as possible to all of their questions and concerns, and to express our full support for them during this very difficult time. I also had an opportunity to of course meet with the principal, members of staff, Pablo’s teacher, a comprehensive investigation is underway. A joint investigation, the ministry along with the Belize Police Department.”
Reporter
“Based on the interim report, it seems that he exited the compound from the main entrance.”
Francis Fonseca
“It seems that way, but again, I’m saying repeatedly, let’s wait for the final report, the final investigation. The police are looking at other videos, so, that is the preliminary view.”
While many city residents have taken to Facebook and other platforms to share their opinions on who is to blame for Gabriel’s death, the investigation is still ongoing, according to Minister Fonseca. He emphasized that the Ministry carefully selects school wardens who are equipped to handle children with special needs. Fonseca also highlighted Stella Maris’s impressive track record, noting that the institution has served Belize exceptionally well for decades and will continue to do so.
Francis Fonseca
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education
“Stella Maris School, I can assure you, and I’m sure the Belizean people have a long, long history with Stella Maris School. It goes back to my childhood. That’s a school that has served this country exceedingly well. We have very well-trained teachers at Stella Maris School. We have a good principal. The entire team there, we have good – I know them personally. I know all of them, the school wardens, I know, care deeply about these children. The teachers care very deeply about these children, so I want to encourage the Belizean people to withhold judgment until we have a final report on this matter. The principal and staff and representatives of the ministry will have a meeting with – after everything is settled with Pablo and he’s laid to rest – a meeting with the school community, the parents and everybody to answer all of their questions, to respond to all of their concerns, and to address them, so that they feel very secure and comfortable, sending their children there. We tried to carefully select school wardens who, we think were mature and understood and caring and patient and understood the importance of that responsibility. Of course, the entire staff, as I said, are responsible for the care of these children. They watched them very carefully, very closely. This was a tragic, unfortunate accident, but as I said, that’s why we brought in the police. Young Pablo died, so there’s an investigation taking place.”
An investigation is underway after the tragic drowning of six-year-old Gabriel Pablo Orellano, a student at Stella Maris School. Earlier today, Gabriel left school and somehow ended up at the hangar near the Belize City municipal airstrip. Sadly, he entered the water and didn’t resurface until his body washed ashore later. In response to this tragedy, Stella Maris School canceled classes for the rest of the day. This afternoon, the Ministry of Education issued a statement expressing their deep sorrow over the loss. They emphasized their commitment to supporting Gabriel’s family during this difficult time and urged the community to keep the family and the Stella Maris School in their thoughts and prayers. We’ll have more information in our subsequent newscast.
This morning, a tragic incident occurred offshore near Saint George’s Caye when an elderly tourist drowned during a marine adventure. Sixty-seven-year-old Rajendran Nair from Florida was snorkeling with a group of tourists when he encountered difficulties just before 10 a.m. Despite efforts to resuscitate him, he was pronounced dead. His body was brought to Belize City, where a postmortem examination is scheduled.
On Tuesday, we shared the story of Crooked Tree Village residents, who are now relying on boats to get in and out of their flooded village due to Tropical Storm Sara. Folks in Northern, Western, and Rural Central Belize are still wondering when the floodwaters will finally recede. To get a better understanding of the situation, we chatted with Nicole Zetina, the Public Relations Officer for the Ministry of Disaster Risk Management. Here’s what she had to say.
Nicole Zetina
Nicole Zetina, Public Relations Officer, Disaster Risk Management
“I can’t give you an exact time period of when we anticipate water is going down. But I will say that we are in communication with the hydrology unit every day. Every morning, every afternoon, every evening, we get some updates on what we can expect. I think they would be best suited to give you a response for that, but I will say that NEMO is ready and prepared to assist however we can for however long it takes.”
Britney Gordon
“And what has that assistance look like in terms of relief and helping these people in and out of these areas and getting them possible to shelters and stuff like that?”
Nicole Zetina
“Okay, so we are currently doing what we call active operations. So currently, we are traversing persons in Crooked Tree by boats. We are being assisted by the Coast Guard, the BDF and the Forest Department. So we’re traversing persons in and out of Crooked Tree. We’re doing the same, however trucks, BDF trucks that’s for a Flower Bank area, and then we’re providing humanitarian aid, aid assistance, and we call this a quick assistance. So for forty-eight to seventy-two hours, we provide you with your basic necessities, and then we hope to sustain this as the weeks go by, if we see the need for it. And also, we’re providing basic groceries and cleaning supplies. in Belize Rural North and Central. We have stopped operations in Rancho Dolores because the water receded in that area. And when I say operations, I mean traversing of persons in and out because the water receded, but that’s how we’re helping. So we’re helping to get people in and out of their communities and also providing food for them and cleaning supplies and where they need assistance with going to a shelter. We’re also traversing persons to and from shelters as well.”
Tonight, police are looking into the apparent drowning of two individuals in Belize. The first victim, Rafael Vasquez from western Belize, was found on Monday around three p.m. in the Paslow Falls area of Bullet Tree Village. When officers arrived, they found Vasquez’s lifeless body in the river. Initial reports suggest that residents, who were out fishing, discovered him. The second victim, Manuel Choc from San Pedro, was found later that same day around seven p.m. at Central Park on Barrier Reef Drive. Witnesses say Choc, who was reportedly under the influence of alcohol, mentioned he was going for a swim. Moments later, he was seen floating in the sea. A bystander pulled him out and attempted CPR, but Choc was unresponsive. His body showed no signs of injuries or physical violence. Both bodies are now awaiting post-mortem examinations.
