Eleven-year-old Shooting Victim Making Good Recovery Progress

Police have officially charged Curtis Molina with three counts of murder for the tragic deaths of Elvis, Emerita, and their three-year-old son Ellis Garbutt. On Saturday evening, the Garbutt family was ambushed on their way home by Molina, who was armed with a shotgun. The attack left three family members and their dog dead at the scene, while the two surviving children, aged eleven and eight, managed to escape. The eldest child suffered gunshot wounds to her face and hand. We spoke with the family today to get an update on her condition. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with more details.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

On Saturday, the peaceful village of Monkey River was shattered by the sound of gunshots echoing over the water. The Garbutt family was just minutes from home when their cousin, Curtis Molina, allegedly ambushed their vehicle with a shotgun. The attack claimed the lives of thirty-nine-year-old Elvis Garbutt, thirty-year-old Emerita Garbutt, and their three-year-old son Ellis. Earlier today, police officially charged Molina with three counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. Elvis’ eight-year-old son managed to escape unharmed, but his eleven-year-old daughter was injured in the face and hand. We spoke with her aunt, Sherret Cuevas, for an update on her recovery.

 

On the Phone: Sherret Cuevas, Aunt of Shooting Victim

“ The swelling on her face has gone down. She can now speak much better. She can drink. First, she was unable to drink. Her tongue is scarred up, marked up. She’s still not eating hard stuff because she’s complaining about a tooth that is missing on her tongue that is damaged, but she can’t drink, and she can talk. And her face going down a little and her thumb was operated on and I was given good feedback from the doctor on what he was able to do for her thumb.”

 

At first, it was feared that the child had lost two fingers in the shooting. Thankfully, only her thumb was injured, and it’s showing promising signs of recovery. Doctors are keeping a close eye on the wound on her face, but they’re optimistic that it will heal well too.

 

On the Phone: Sherret Cuevas

“The pellets in her face or the fragments, whatever they call them, they are not going to remove them. They are saying that the body will either reject them or they will just stay there, form something around it, the body will do, but they don’t have intention right now to remove anything from her face. The only concern they have was with her thumb, tried to save it. And that is the reason why they took us from Dangriga to Belmopan during the night.”

 

With the two young survivors of the attack being minors, their grieving family now has the heavy responsibility of guiding and caring for them through this difficult time. Mental health counselor Aimee Jex explained that while adults can often recognize and understand their emotions when coping with grief, children might not fully grasp the concept of death yet. Jex offers some valuable advice for new caregivers on how to support these children as they navigate their loss.

 

Aimee Jex, Mental Health Counselor

“Make time, have conversations, listen as much as possible. And for you, have a place where you can be listened to. Have a place where you can speak freely. Have a place where you feel supported. So if you are the support system for someone, make sure that you have your own support system as well. And that way, we have a place where the children can be a little bit heard. more stable. They feel comfortable there and they can express their sadness, their grief, their pain in a way where they feel free to do so.”

 

Right now, the children are in the care of their aunts and uncles, who are working tirelessly with social workers to make sure they get the best possible care and support to help them cope with the trauma they’ve been through. Cuevas assured us that the children will receive counseling from medical professionals to aid in their recovery.

 

On the Phone: Sherret Cuevas

“That’s a definite, because being with her, just when she’s talking, we know that’s a definite thing. And the sooner, the better. The sooner we do it, the better for her, for both of them. Because just imagine going through that. I am not there and I cannot handle the situation and they were there to see all this. So it’s rough to see and hear stuff. That is unimaginable. Yes, we’ll look for counseling for them and it will be best for them to be at the moment or permanent or whatever the case might be in this case, we’re just leaving as is with their maternal part of the family, but we want to seek advice and do what’s best for the kids.”

 

With Christmas just around the corner, Jex highlights the importance of celebrating the lives of loved ones we’ve lost. She suggests that using their memory can be a powerful way to help children cope with their grief during the holiday season. By honoring and remembering those who have passed, families can find comfort and support in each other.

 

Aimee Jex

“Especially with children, it’s important to check in with them. It’s important to keep them involved. One of the things that are very special around Christmas time, around birthdays of deceased loved ones, is to celebrate them. It’s to remember that they were important in our lives and they still hold that place in our lives. That is super important, especially around Christmas, around holidays, around birthdays. You want to have these special celebrations of how these important people are still a part of your life. Very often we think of grief and we say, Oh, I don’t want to celebrate this. I don’t want to do anything because this person isn’t here. And that is a valid feeling to have, but you have to remember, if it weren’t for that person, this event would not be as meaningful.”

 

Britney Gordon for News Five.