2024-09-11 - Channel 5 Belize

Body of Murder Victim Dornell Talbert Mistakenly Cremated

On Monday, we told you about the murder of twenty-six-year-old Dornell Talbert in Scotland Halfmoon Village. But his story did not end with just a homicide. Tonight, his mother is up in arms because her son’s body was wrongfully cremated. Stephanie Talbert travelled to Belize from the U.S today to say her last goodbyes. Her son’s funeral was scheduled for Sunday September fifteenth. When she arrived and reached out to the funeral home she contracted, Munnings Funeral Home, she was informed that Dornell Talbert’s body was cremated on Monday. The circumstances that led to the error, however, are not as clear. There are still questions to be answered. We spoke with the mother about the unfortunate mix-up outside the K.H.M.H. morgue. We also heard from Andrew Munnings, the owner of Munnings Funeral Home. He told us that he is taking full responsibility for the anguish the family is facing.

Stephanie Talbert, Mother of Deceased

“I the look for understanding, I the look for answers because I just come back in the country today and I come to bury my son, I the come for a body and now they the tell me they bury my son. We never agree for no cremation. We agree for a body, to do the service with a body. Now, the cremate my son. I font have closure. How will I get closure for my son, when I don’t see him.”

Paul Lopez

“Who cremated the body?”

Stephanie Talbert

“Some Chico, a guy name Chico take the body Friday and cremate the body without authority from Mr. Munning. He told them that they have a cremation, but it was for a woman. Why would you take a man body go cremate him. How could you mistake a man for a woman, how could you do that? Without authority, you need death certificate, you need the postmortem paper. How could he burn that body? How will I have closure for my son? He said he misunderstood, he only hear cremation and he went and cremate the body. I dah wah strong woman. I ask God for strength daily, I ask him for strength. One thing I could always say about my son. He was not a coward. I did not raise a coward. He died because he lived his life how he was suppose to live his life. He is not a coward. Now they take everything from me. They killed him, I didn’t get to see him not I came to see the body and I wont get to see him. Now I have ashes.”

Paul Lopez

“You have some questions to answer today, what went wrong?”

Andrew Munnings, Owner, Munnings Funeral Home

“What went wrong, and as I told the family, when I am busy, when we are at a funeral, what happened Monday is that my daughter was sick, so we were out. Levia Funeral Home is our third-party home. If we have to pick up a body from the Boom Medical College after an autopsy, we will call them, and we would pay them two-fifty to move the body from Boom to KHMH. What happened that day, up to this point, I still want a lot of answers from him. But, as I told the family I am not going to put the blame on him, I am not going to throw him underneath the bus, I take full responsibility, simply because you trusted me with your service. We had a cremation on that day, but the daughter of the person we should cremate did not come in, so I called him like nine in the morning and I told him the cremation is cancelled, however we have a body from boom that we must bring to KHMH. Even KHMH we waited after five that evening for the body to return. Up to the morning of the cremation, up to this afternoon, we don’t know anything. When the uncle came into my office this morning for a quotation, everything was normal, it was when I reached out to the morgue and I asked, they said you guys can proceed. But his body is not there. When the guy Chico called me, he is the owner of Levia’s Funeral Home, he is the one that personally went to pick up the body. When he told me he was about to pass for his cremation payment. Which payment, I don’t have any payment for you. When he told me he burnt the young man he picked up form Boom. Literally I felt like I was dreaming. I have never experienced anything like this in my life, because you have heard about it on the news in the past and I have always said to myself, you don’t ever want to go through anything like that. My thing is why I blame myself is simply because you could have a high business ethics, but you must know who you hire to work with, they might not have that same ethics as you. I am not going to push him underneath the bus. I am not going to do that. You guys trust me to take care of your loved one, and honestly, I will never tell the family I understand what you are going through. I don’t. I will not pretend to.”

Fatal RTA on George Price highway, One Dead, Several Injured

One person is dead, and the fate of another victim is unknown, following an accident between mile thirty-six and thirty-seven along the George Price Highway earlier this afternoon. Around twelve fifteen p.m., a blue Ford Escape was travelling in the direction of Belmopan when it collided with a white van transporting a pair of tourists from Jaguar Paw, severely injuring the passengers inside the vehicle. News Five’s Britney Gordon was on the scene with more details.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Another person is dead following a road traffic accident at midday. Since the beginning of the week, at least three people have died in a fatal collision. Today, while travelling in opposite directions along the George Price Highway, two vehicles collided, injuring five people and killing at least one. Marvin Virula was among the first responders to arrive on the scene. He tells us how he stopped to offer his assistance.

Marvin Virula, Witness

“When I just get here I just see that smoke from the speaker mi di come, I guess it’s because the radiator broke up and stuff. Deh one deh mi look really bad. And ney ones mi still need to be assisted. So they mi have our next pickup truck and a older guy and a younger guy when mi assist to, they bring them out and try to give them shades and so on and actually band one of them up, because of the injury weh he mi had. And afterwards, gone to this vehicle because we realized the person’s still alive in there. And at the time, then we had more people stop by decide to cut the seatbelt because one of the guys, we actually think, there’s one person in there, but when we got closer, we realized two in there, but one motionless, right? I guess, maybe he probably got an impact, but we managed to cut the seatbelt and then give ah wa lee space to make ih breathe.”

The blue Ford Escape was travelling from the direction of Belize City, carrying two passengers, while the white van contained a Belizean tour guide and two American nationals. Virula says that just minutes before the collision, he saw the blue vehicle overtaking him on the road. The sight of a mangled vehicle in the middle of the highway, just moments later, was harrowing.

Marvin Virul

“I actually mi dih drive coming this way too and this vehicle passed me mussi like, after the whole scene and everything, I can’t remember everything exactly how it happened. But I’d say maybe five minutes he mi pass me and I mi frightened to see that he had an accident, and middle of the street the driver, the tour guide, said that what happened is that they, I don’t know if they had a blowout or they just lose control and he gone from one side to the next and he couldn’t avoid it, and that da when he had the impact against he.”

The passenger in the Ford Escape was motionless when responders arrived to assist, while the driver was still breathing. The injuries suffered by the passengers in the van were not life threatening and they were taken to the Western Regional Hospital for treatment. Due to the accident, traffic was backed up for over an hour, stretching the length of mile thirty-six. Truck driver Jorge Escalante was one of the first drivers to encounter the accident on the road.

Jorge Escalante, Witness

“When I was coming, me see the big accident and there was some vehicle crossing through the side. But when after come the police, I mih have to slow down and stop. Because, suddenly they hurry and come and put the cones. And so I deh right ya maybe one hour and a half, something like that or more.”

As a truck driver, Escalante remains hyper-vigilant of accidents he may encounter on the road, but he says that an incident of this severity is something that he cannot describe.

Jorge Escalante

“They tek out one person from the vehicle. And they ker the one who was in the middle of the road there. Maybe one alive and one dead.”

Britney Gordon

“So what was that like for you? Seeing that as a driver that drives on these dangerous roads every day, to see first hand, something like that in front of you?

Jorge Escalante

“You can’t explain that because it’s something in the dark. Something just like frighten. I can’t explain that.”

Virula sprang into action to help shortly after realizing that the victims needed assistance. He was fueled by adrenaline due to the intensity of the moment.

Britney Gordon

“How does it feel, to know that you came in such close contact with an accident of this severity?”

Marvin Virula

“Like I tell you, when you run into these things, actually mi gone live and then I cut off my live fi actually start assist. But within that, I di try bring back memory to exactly what point they passed me and I can’t remember, because too much excitement of seeing this thing and it’s sad, to say things like that because as you get there you see the person to bleed a lot. You could ah mi clearly see that the driver mi still alive, but you coulda mi see that ih need assistant like right away.”

Although the cause of the accident is still under investigation, Virula believes that first responders should be stationed along the highways, particularly around times of public celebrations, should accidents like this occur.

Marvin Virula

“Try call police, ambulance and so some other guys they said that they done call and then they come, when then things happen. I don’t know, I believe they should have an ambulance just to linger on, between denyah long stretch right there, where, especially for, like a day when a lot of activities that happen or things like that, because people sometimes tend to be, maybe they noh di drink all day, but they got wah two three alcohol drinks inna ney system. It woulda good fi have, like I said, certain areas just have an ambulance dealing about, that when you had this happen, they should be the first ones fi deh deh. If the police could reach afterwards, but the ambulance are the ones that could assist them people to survive.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

Man Crashes into Cow and Dies

Tragedy struck in the quiet community of San Felipe, Orange Walk, late Monday night, where a deadly collision between a vehicle and a cow claimed one life. Authorities have confirmed that the incident occurred on the main highway, just outside the village. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.

Marion Ali, Reporting
A man lost his life in San Felipe Village, when the motorcycle he was driving on Monday night struck a cow that had wandered onto the road. It happened in this area of the road, where cattle ranches are located. The driver, eighteen-year-old Alvin Guardado, who was traveling alone at the time, died the same night.

Police inform that sometime around eight-thirty on Monday night, Guardado was driving a black Honda one-ninety motorcycle towards San Felipe Village when he ran into a cow in the road about a mile before the village. Guardado was flung to the pavement and suffered severe injuries to his head. He was transported to the hospital before authorities arrived at the scene, but hospital personnel at the Northern Regional Hospital could not save his life. The family, overcome by grief, declined to give interviews on the incident, but information reaching our newsroom is that Guardado was on his way home after visiting his girlfriend when the incident happened.

There are signs warning drivers to be aware of cattle crossing the road in that area. In the past, Orange Walk District has been known for accidents of this nature. Closer to the town itself, buffaloes and are taken to graze near the Philip Goldson Highway and the Bypass have been reported to cause accidents and have become a concern for motorists who use the roads. Marion Ali for News Five.

Where Will Faber and Panton Sit in House of Representatives?

A House Meeting is scheduled for Friday and the Leader of the Opposition has officially informed the Speaker of the House of Representatives that Patrick Faber and Tracy Panton are no longer members of the United Democratic Party. The letter, signed by Opposition Leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow is requesting that the Speaker of the House, Valerie Woods, “declare at the next Sitting of the House of Representatives that Members from Albert and Collet have ceased to be members of the House of Representatives by reason of having been a member of a political party”. In summary, Barrow’s letter informs the Speaker of the House that Faber and Panton no longer represent the United Democratic Party in parliament. With such a declaration, questions have now arisen about the seating arrangements for the parliamentarians on Friday. Where will Tracey Panton and Patrick Faber be seated. The new space inside the George Price Center does not allow for a second row on the opposition’s side of the House. So, the most likely position would be further down the aisle, if the Speaker of the House is to honor this request. Collet Area Representative, Patrick Faber, has since come out to say that the letter is riddled with baseless claims that he has resigned from the United Democratic Party. In a Facebook post he noted that this is not the first time the opposition leader has wrongly invoked the Constitution for political gain. In his statement, Faber went on to say that, “Barrow’s actions display either a profound misunderstanding of the Constitution or a malicious intent to undermine my position”. We will continue to follow these latest developments.

Will Tracy and Patrick Support Shyne’s Motions in the House?

Friday’s house meeting will be the first since the Briceño administration purchased the controversial piece of land in Belmopan, a few weeks ago, for the construction of the University Hospital. The sitting of the House of Representatives will also be held at the George Price Center for Peace and Development, while the Assembly Building is being refurbished. But will the elected members of the opposition turn out to support Shyne Barrow on any of these issues given what has been taking place internally. Here’s U.D.P. mouthpiece Delroy Cutkelvin.

Delroy Cutkelvin, Cayo Zone Coordinator, U.D.P.

“As an opposition, one of the main role of the opposition is to keep the government in check and in line, not just to win a general election. And this case in point that I raised underscores that. Here is an outrageous deal that the entire nation is revolted by and yoh cyant let we off di hook and we can’t let ourselves off the hook. We are the constitutional opposition.”

Isani Cayetano

“So this will be the first house meeting since that land was purchased, contentious as the issue is, Shyne Barrow will be there as the Leader of the Opposition. We don’t know exactly what the seating arrangements for the other dissenting to will be, God knows if Sista B or Hugo Patt will be there. So is he then to stand before the “Honorable House” and share his official position without the backing of the other four, considering how small as it is the opposition actually is?”

Delroy Cutkelvin

“Well I have no reason to believe that the representatives will not be there other than one particular member who we know has had her issues with attending house meetings for her reasons which I won’t try to defend at all. But I have no reason to believe that the honorable Hugo Patt will not be there. I have no reason to believe that the honorable Patrick Faber and the honorable Tracy Panton will not be there.”

U.D.P. Says All Efforts to Resolve Internal Issues were Exhausted

According to Cutkelvin, despite the firmly held position of others in the echelons of the United Democratic Party, all attempts were made to resolve the issue between Party Leader Shyne Barrow and the Alliance for Democracy via mediation. That effort, nonetheless, also proved fruitless.

Delroy Cutkelvin, Cayo Zone Coordinator, U.D.P.

“When the central executive first met to consider this matter of this so-called breakaway group, there were some who came to that meeting with their minds made up that they were going to move swiftly to deal with this matter. There were others like myself, Diane, people like Lindsay Garbutt, people like Alberto August who said let us give an opportunity for a mediation process and there were some who said what if the mediation process yields no positive results? And I was quick to say, we have to be positive and optimistic that it will yield positive results because we all love this party.”

Isani Cayetano

“But it didn’t, hence the reason…”

Delroy Cutkelvin

“But I am just making the point that the party leader, the chairman and others have exercised great restraint in making certain decisive moves in terms of addressing what is happening here. So I am making the broader point that there is much democracy at work in the operations of the party because it was because of our insistence that we must give another opportunity to try to make this thing work. It’s because of that that we ended up with a mediation process in the first place and no one can rule out the possibility that some kind of mediation can happen still. I continue to maintain that the UDP has been through these kinds of tribulations and trials before and we have eventually worked it out.”

Bids Welcome to Manage E-buses for North and West

Since the announcement came almost two years ago that the Ministry of Transport would be pushing for an upgrade in the public transportation system, bus operators have been making efforts to access financing to acquire better fleets and secure their runs. Along with the upgrade was the announcement that the United Nations Development Program was providing funding for Belize to acquire a fleet of electric buses, two for Belize City and three for interdistrict runs across the western and northern routes. While the e-buses in the Old Capital have been a welcomed option for a couple of months now, the ones earmarked for the cross-district runs have only been in the country since last Wednesday. According to E-mobility Project Manager, Taheerah Usher, there will be two buses running in opposite directions along the western route while the third will run along the northern route. She went over the criteria for a company or individual to qualify for all three routes.

On the phone: Taheerah Usher, E-mobility Project Manager, UNDP Belize

“We’ve asked private operators to, um. To indicate their interest is managing and operating these buses under that specific expression of interest, their specific criteria as a qualifications that they would be required to have in order for them to be considered to manage and operate the three buses. They would then have access to the full request form for proposals, and then they’d be able to submit their bid and then be evaluated based on those criteria that are outlined within the tender documents. The specific criteria is looking at in terms of your experience. Do you have any experience within the sector? Um, uh, looking at the financial standings, uh, within the, uh, expression, you see that there’s and I can share the link with you. There’s a specific criteria that asks in terms of providing financial. So, the financial breakdowns for the business and be able to show your financial capacity to actually operate and manage as well as the human resources. So do you have the relevant capacities within your existing, um, within your existing business to be able to, um, run these buses? So for example, your bus drivers, your conductors, and your human resources in terms of your, um, accountants and stuff like that. So I asked specifically for those criteria. And then based on that, then we’d be able to, with their submission, evaluate whether or not they meet those minimum criteria.”

Inter-District E-bus Runs Won’t Interfere with Existing Ones

Usher explained that one bidder, whether a company or an individual, will get the green light to operate all three buses under the routes mentioned. She explained that the runs will not interfere with those that are currently being conducted because the time slots are different from the schedules that current bus operators run.

On the phone: Taheerah Usher, E-mobility Project Manager, UNDP Belize

“It’s one tender and so the three buses would be awarded to one successful bidder. The document specifies the routes and the times in terms of peak and off peak times. And I know that the Department of Transport did their thorough research and investigation in terms of ensuring that none of the times which are being proposed does not interfere with any existing routes or runs. So I know they’ve done a lot of work in terms of that to ensure that there’s no clashes with any of the existing runs right now.”

NIME to Host Belize’s First International Women’s Forum

The International Network of Women in Business, NIME is inviting the public to join them on November ninth for Belize’s first-ever International Women’s Forum. It is a collaboration with the Federation of Organizations of Women, Businesswomen and Entrepreneurs of Central America and the Dominican Republic. It aims to raise awareness on challenges and business opportunities for women in the tourism sector in the region. NIME president, Katia Montenegro-Hoare provided more details on the event.

Katia Montenegro-Hoare, President, NIME

“NIME Belize is hosting the first International Women’s Forum in Belize. This is the ninth regional forum in Central America and the Dominican Republic. We will have delegates from the different organizations of women in business in Central America and the Dominican Republic, as well as different partners in the U.S. and Mexico. Together, we hope to have a large network of women in business collaborating and forming partnerships and showcasing their products and services. The forum will be happening on November ninth. We will start with a forum with different presentations, addressing challenges and opportunities in the tourism sector, specifically addressing the different gender gaps and the challenges and the different opportunities that women have. And also we will have an expo for women in business, the same ninth of November during the night. And of course, also we are having a master class with our members and different participants from the international delegation to talk about gender equity, specifically in the tourism sector.”

Britney Gordon

“So how do women participate in this forum? Do they need to sign up somewhere? Or what’s that process looking like?”

Katia Montenegro-Hoare, President

“Yes, we are at the stage of promoting the event and then we will have a registration form. You can reach out to NIME Belize to find out more about how you can register and be part of this amazing opportunity.”

More Funding for NIME to Support Female Entrepreneurs in Belize

The International Network of Women in Business, NIME, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Development Finance Corporation to empower women entrepreneurs and drive economic growth in Belize. The partnership will bolster NIME’s support for women-led businesses by providing financial resources and business development support its members. Katia Montenegro-Hoare told how this partnership will assist over two hundred women across the country.

Katia Montenegro-Hoare, President, NIME

“So today marks a significant milestone for NIME Belize as we sign the first memorandum of understanding with the Development Finance Corporation. This collaboration is a powerful one for us. NIME Belize has been collaborating with the Development Finance Corporation since the beginning of our journey in 2022. NIME Belize offers a space, a platform, a community for women in business. to grow and succeed in business. We offer mentorship, advocacy, and opportunities to provide the tools for women to succeed in business. Through this collaboration, we hope to enhance the different incentives and programs that we offer for our membership. And, of course, today marks the beginning of, long term relationship in terms of access to financing and different programs that can provide women different opportunities to access finances. As we know, this is one of the main challenges for women owned businesses. So this collaboration is very important for both organizations.”

Britney Gordon

“As we know, Belize is heavily dependent on the income that comes from women that are employed for their households, taking care of their children. So what about the impact that organizations like NIME and the initiatives that you guys run have on women in Belize?”

Katia Montenegro-Hoare

“So one of our main objectives is to provide a different tools, information and opportunities for women in business. We create that by providing women a safe space where they can share experiences, ask questions, collaborate with each other, and even create partnerships. So through collaborations like this, we are able to address the specific needs of women owned businesses and work together to create different products, financial products and services that can, that women can have access to.”

Britney Gordon

“Finally, you said this collaboration will give you guys more access to funding, so how can we see the initiatives that you guys do expand now that this collaboration will take into effect?”

Katia Montenegro-Hoare

“So we are at the beginning of the collaboration, of course. There is a process that we need to go through, and of course one of our objectives as well is to create mentorship programs and different boot camps in specifically for financial literacy and inclusion. So once we have our members be part of that, then we can provide the different requirements and, the different structure that they need in order to be able to access financing.”