ComPol Confirms Drowning Victims Consumed Alcohol Before Tragedy

Commissioner of Police Chester Williams has confirmed that alcohol was involved in the tragic drowning of two university students at the Guanacaste Park Riverside swimming area in Belmopan. The victims, Henry Osorio and Alexander Munoz, were both promising biology majors, nearing the completion of their bachelor’s degrees.

Osorio, Munoz, and two female friends arrived at the popular swimming spot around 2 p.m. on Thursday. Less than three hours later, the young men were found dead.

According to Commissioner Williams, police responding to the scene found the two female companions in a frantic state. They informed officers that their male friends had gone underwater and failed to resurface. A search was immediately conducted, and both bodies were pulled from the river, but by then, it was too late. The two were transported to the hospital, where they were pronounced dead on arrival.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the group had been drinking, which is permitted in the area. Williams stated that one of the young men went into the water for a swim but began drifting away. His friend attempted to rescue him, but both were quickly pulled under and never resurfaced.

The Guanacaste Park swimming area is a well-known relaxation spot for locals and tourists, offering affordable entry at just one dollar. The tragedy has left friends and classmates devastated. Zoe Sutherland, a close friend of Munoz, shared fond memories of their time together.

“We skipped chem, and he’s like, Let me show you the river. And this was like five because we had a very late chem class. So we left, and we stopped by the store. We got some snacks. And he showed me a river over there, and we just sat, and we just talked, and we laughed, and then he’s like, Okay, let’s study chem. And I was like, what? And he’s like, yeah, you thought I took you out of chem? No. So he went over the whole topic and everything. And he’s like, I brought you here so I can teach you. And that’s one thing I will always miss: his enthusiasm and his okayness to do anything, especially for me. He always helped with anything. If I needed him there, he would be there. And he was the main reason that I passed chemistry in my second semester.”