Surveillance Footage Shows Gabriel Orellano’s Last Moments

Last night, we shared the heartbreaking news of a six-year-old autistic boy from Stella Maris School whose death has deeply affected the community. Initial reports indicate that Gabriel Orellano left the school compound unnoticed just before noon. His lifeless body was discovered shortly after 1 p.m. near the Tropic Air hangar along the Belize City coast, and it appears he drowned. So, how did Gabriel go from being at school to losing his life at the hangar? Today, his uncle, a former Coast Guard Officer, teamed up with News Five to find answers. With the help of local businesses, they obtained surveillance footage that traces Gabriel’s path to the hangar. These videos provide crucial answers for the family as they try to come to terms with their loss. News Five’s Paul Lopez has the story.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

News Five has obtained surveillance footage tracing the final steps of six-year-old Gabriel Orellano, an autistic student, before he was tragically found lifeless near the municipal airport hangar. Gabriel wandered off from the Stella Maris School compound just before noon. News Five, along with Gabriel’s uncle, visited several places to gather surveillance footage and piece together his last hour. Our first stop was Chon Sann on Kelly Street, where a camera captured Gabriel running past the restaurant at 12:46 p.m., wearing his green and khaki uniform. Moments later, another camera at the back of Korea Electronics caught him darting across an intersection, narrowly avoiding a motorcycle. Further footage from Moe’s Pizza on Barrack Road showed a man on a bicycle trying to grab Gabriel, but he managed to slip away and continued running towards Princess Margaret Drive. The man on the bicycle, seemingly concerned, turned around but didn’t pursue further. Gabriel kept running towards Digi Park, where a camera from Ochuna Restaurant captured him still on the move, now with a woman on a bicycle trailing behind him. Just minutes later, Midtown’s surveillance footage along the same road showed Gabriel heading in the same direction at 1 p.m. Sadly, his lifeless body was found by the seaside shortly after. Initial investigations suggest he entered the sea and likely drowned. Tonight, Gabriel’s family is left with more questions than answers, especially wondering how he managed to leave the secured school compound undetected. We spoke with his father off camera.

 

Voice of: Vidal Orellano, Father of Deceased

“I dah mih wah fisherman and I was waiting to go to sea. My brother is the one that came to me and told me something happened ot my son and we have to go now. Buit I didn’t expect that to happen. I think maybe ih mussy get hurt or have a broke hand or something. We went to the school and nobody wanted to give us answer, we the ask weh part my baby deh. Nobody answer, the principal nuh answer. All they told us was that the baby deh dah Tropic Air, hangar. When I reach deh I see my mom, teacher police, everybody the deh. When I get close I see my baby on the ground. Ih mih hard, because that was my only son. Everywhere he go with me.”

 

Paul Lopez

“I see you post a video of him playing, was he playful and jovial?”

 

Voice of: Vidal Orellano

“He go with me everywhere, shop, town, no matter what nobody mih seh bout ah, ih like give trouble, nuh sit down, ih nuh matter, I carry ah with mih.”

 

News Five understands that after exiting the Stella Maris School compound, the child was seen inside Pallotti High School’s compound located just across the street.  Screenshots of a text message conversation between two students at the high school revealed that while on the campus Orellano bit one of the students, before he was taken down to the lobby and locked him in so that he did not run away. The account says that he began to cry but the students left him there because they didn’t want him to run away. An adult reportedly intervened and instructed the students to let him out.  He then ran away. The student that Orellano bit pursued him. According to the conversation, “he was all the way by A&R at this time”. According to the conversation, when the students asked the security guard where the child went, the guard told the students, “The little boy is not his problem”. A classroom group chat from Pallotti Highschool reveals a similar storyline. One student said, “I saw a little boy in the lobby when I was at school”.  Another student wrote, “He was from Stella. He could not talk. We were trying to talk to him be he didn’t respond n he started to cry, and we were instructed to let him go.” A third student wrote, “Sigh they should have made him wait”. A teacher in the group instructed the students to calm down and let the investigation do its work. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez