2025-02-06 - Channel 5 Belize

Orellano Not the First Child to Leave School Compound Unnoticed

It’s been three days since six-year-old autistic student Gabriel Orellano tragically drowned in the hangar area after slipping away unnoticed from the Stella Maris School compound. The Ministry of Education has since launched a full investigation into this devastating incident. But was this the first time a child left the campus undetected? A grief-stricken mother of another autistic student at the school has come forward, revealing that just two weeks ago, her child also managed to leave the campus unnoticed. She now regrets not speaking out sooner, believing that doing so might have prompted increased security measures and potentially saved Gabriel’s life. Tonight, she shares her story, shedding light on the immense challenges the staff at Stella Maris face daily with limited resources. News Five’s Paul Lopez brings us this poignant report.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

News Five has been closely following the sad story of six-year-old Gabriel Orellano, an autistic student who unfortunately drowned in the hangar area after leaving the Stella Maris School compound undetected on Monday. Tonight, we hear from a distraught parent of a five-year-old autistic student at Stella Maris, who reveals that her son also managed to leave the school grounds unnoticed just two weeks ago.

Selenie Williams, Mother of Stella Maris Student

“I did think long and hard about doing this. I wait a few days to come out to share my experience and reason being when it comes to have a special needs child you are always over protective. The world is every mean and they don’t understand and the reason I didn’t speak out earlier is because I just have a fear of my child being neglected or treated bad at school.”

Selenie Williams shared that her son, Skyler Valencio, who is autistic and mute, managed to slip out of the school compound during lunch break on that fateful afternoon. He wandered over to the neighboring YWCA property.

Selenie Williams

“Why I am really upset about the situation is because they wouldn’t have told us that my child had left the school compound. My child left from Stella Maris and went over to YWCA. There is one fence that divides it. My niece goes to YWCA and it was around that same lunch time whereby they are, I guess, unsupervised. And, they state it was a hole in the fence that my child went through a hole and went over. My brother in law was taking my niece to YWCA and he heard they were looking for a child. When he came back form taking the baby to the class, he saw they were taking my baby. He asked why child is over at YWCA. They brushed him off and took the child back over. So, when he got home, he called my mom and my mom addressed the principal and her entire mood was just thank god nothing happened to the baby. So, I took it upon myself to go to school. I went to the principal and the first thing she told me; I already spoke to someone over the phone, what is the problem. What do you mean, what is the problem. You need to explain to me why my child was from one school, over to the next school. At that time when YWCA kids are coming in, the gate is closing and opening. But they explained at YWCA is that he saw the park and loves to play in the park and so he stopped and was playing in the park and that is when the teachers at YWCA noticed. They held him in the office until the principal was able to come and get him.”

News Five has learned that Skyler Valencio wasn’t the first student to slip past wardens and leave the school compound. When Williams visited the school, she recorded her conversation with the school’s principal, Francelia Cantun, to gain further clarity on her concerns. That private recording was shared with News Five. The school’s principal explained that Skyler might have climbed over the fence or found a hole to get through. The principal also highlighted the daily challenges the school faces, being under-resourced while caring for one hundred and twenty-nine children with special needs.

Voice of: Francelia Cantun, Principal, Stella Maris

“As the child went over they called me from Y and told me that the child went over there. You know the child; he crossed over the fence. We found a hole, we patched the hole, but I told a teacher we want to do it sturdier, so we are getting materials and whatever so we are going to fix it. I came here in 2021. We only had three wardens. We have had incidents because we are dealing with one hundred and twenty-nine including your children. The same way your child gives trouble, we have a hundred and twenty-eight more to deal with. So, three wardens was not enough. So I call ministry and requested for three more wardens. After a whole year we finally got three more wardens. After all of that, we don’t have enough eyes to watch these children. We have had incidents already that a child went through the gate and was going across and someone by the Matron Roberts saw the child and brought back the child, because the child was in uniform. So we ask the parents please bring the child in uniform, because people know our uniform. So miss, it is not because we are not watching them. As I told you we got three more people to assist us and with all that this incident happen.”

Principal Cantun reassured parents that the school is doing its best despite the tough circumstances. She apologized for the incident and pointed out another hazard on school grounds that needs to be addressed.

Voice of: Francelia Cantun

“And the thing is that whosoever was the principal before got a lot of rocks and things all over the place, so that is what he used to climb over and I already call city council to help us move and get all those rocks away and they promised and nuh come do it yet. So, a lot things is beyond our control. I know in July the whole school will be worked on, because we have the roof leaking. So they will reconstruct the whole school and do landscaping and will remove the rocks.”

Principal Cantun suggested that parents consider sending someone to supervise their children during lunchtime if they feel their child might be unsafe. In response, Williams asked the school to contact her immediately if anything happened to her child.

Voice of: Francelia Cantun

“Me nuh like worry people and put people out of the way. If something mih happen to your child, of course I would call. Nothing happened to ah. All ih do dah cross over, the lady saw him and we brought him over. To me being in this profession and dealing with these kind of children, it was not anything out of the way. We even had a time when a child caught a city bus, a lady saw him and brought him back to school.”

We reached out to Principal Cantun for a response, and she directed us to Christy Almeida, the Special Education Coordinator at the Ministry of Education. We contacted Almeida to see if the ministry was aware of the cases Cantun mentioned, especially since Minister of Education Francis Fonseca expressed some uncertainty about them on Wednesday.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education.

“I am not aware, I cant speak to that. But over the many years I would not be surprised if from time to time children, the special needs community requires focus attention and very active. So, from time to time I would imagine some of them have gotten out of the compound and fortunately in those cases, no harm has come to them.”

Selenie Williams

“My entire point is not to bad mouth the school. The school is a very good school. My child has improved so much. I have seen children improve. That is not my point. I love the teachers. They do take care of the children. They do learn. I love everything about the school. I was thinking so hard about sending my child there. I am glad I did. I love the school. It is just the security situation and I want to bring awareness so they can do something about it.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez

Orellano Eyewitness: “We could have done something”

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, 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.”

Why Didn’t More People Try to Help Gabriel?

The public has been very vocal about the tragic death of Gabriel Orellano, with many questioning why no one stopped to help. Today, C.E.O. in the Ministry of Human Development, Adele Catzim-Sanchez, told News Five that sometimes people are so caught up in their own situations that they can’t act. She also acknowledged those who did try to help Gabriel but emphasized that as a community, we need to be more responsive to the needs of the children around us.

Adele Catzim-Sanchez, C.E.O., Ministry of Human Development

“We recognize too that there were people who made attempts and so we want to say thank you to those who did try to intervene. But at the same time, we want to send a signal that we do need to be a lot more vigilant and mindful of the fact that children do need us as adults to be watching out for them and that it is our duty and responsibility as citizens to look out for each other, especially children and children who are vulnerable. One of the things that may have contributed to what happened Is related to a psychological term that is called unintentional blindness and basically in studying cases like this one, not to excuse it, but just to understand more, there are times when people are going about their daily lives and they focus and pay attention to what’s important to them. And so then it’s not an intentional act, but it’s unintentional that people might have noticed the child, but not really registered that this is a child that needs to be protected. Passing the Act on disabilities is something that we’re trying to do at the policy level, to just create a higher level of awareness of the need to look out for people who are differently abled. If we see any child that is alone, that is walking or running by themselves, that is a child that needs to be protected, and we need to call someone. We need to call the police. We need to call the Department of Human Services to make sure that we have an intervention for that child.”

Bernard Says Society to Blame for Autistic Child’s Death

The devastating news of six-year-old Gabriel Orellano’s death continues to weigh heavily on the hearts of Belizeans across the country. Earlier this week, we retraced Gabriel’s steps from his school to the tragic spot where his body was found later that day. The video revealed that Gabriel passed by several adults on his journey, yet no one stopped or questioned him. This has sparked a crucial conversation about our collective responsibility to protect and support all children, especially those with special needs. Today, the Minister of Health and Wellness, Kevin Bernard, shared his thoughts on this deeply saddening situation.

Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health & Wellness

“That’s a very tough situation. I looked at that video like, repeatedly in my mind, and I said, I have a nephew my, my brother-in-law son, who is an autistic child. And you know the special care and attention that they need. What saddens me, is looking at the video and you question where are we as a society? Where are we as a people? Seeing a child in a, in that uniform. Everybody knows the uniform from the students who attend Stella Maris, running down the highway, almost in the middle of the highway. For the most part, vehicles traversing. People on motorcycles. People on bicycles. I actually saw somebody riding a bicycle next to this child all the way, for a good distance. You mean we can’t stop and take a look and say, man, this child is on his own out here? I think we fail this young child as a society. We’re not constantly blaming one individual. Let’s blame ourselves. Where is our passion and empathy? Where have our love gone for each other? That is what I think we should ask. I challenge every Belizean to also educate yourselves in terms of what this dreadful issue also caused on our young children. It’s not just children, but we have a lot of people suffering from autism. Let’s educate ourselves and let others support what we need to also support. It’s a sad situation that occurred. I’m wearing blue in honor of young Gabriel, but in honor of all those young children who suffer from autism as well, and all those who are suffering from autism. And so I call and I make a plea to our citizens, let us support each other. Let this incident never occur again. It’s a sad situation that occurred, and I hope that it never and ever repeats itself.”

Minister of Education Says Don’t Be Judgmental

C.E.O. Catzim-Sanchez expressed her disappointment that more people didn’t step in to help and highlighted the Disability Bill and policy aimed at better educating the public. The Minister of Education, Francis Fonseca, also commented on the situation, addressing the lack of response from those along Gabriel’s route on Monday afternoon. He urged the public not to judge those who, for various reasons, couldn’t assist Gabriel.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education

“ I’ve heard people say, “Oh, where is your humanity? Where is your community spirit?” And again, I want to urge people, let’s not be judgmental. The question is what would I do? What would I do? You never know in circumstances like that, you never quite know what your response will be. It depends what’s happening in your life during what you’re doing at that time. People have their own problems. They’re rushing to reach somewhere. They’re focused on what they’re doing. Saving him, obviously, would have been fantastic. We would have loved for somebody to intervene and pick up and hold little Pablo and bring him back safely to school. That would have been wonderful and ideal but I don’t want to also judge people.”

Was Standard Procedure Followed with Patient At NRH?

A family from Yo Creek, Orange Walk is left with many unanswered questions after a loved one tragically passed away shortly after returning home from the hospital early Sunday morning. Rolando Garcia was either harmed or had an accident while riding his bicycle in the early hours of Sunday. He was found in a ditch, submerged in water, and rushed to the Northern Regional Hospital for treatment. Garcia had a gash on his head and received stitches, but his family was shocked to find him back home just a few hours after they were informed, he had been taken to the hospital. News Five’s Marion Ali brings us more on this puzzling and heartbreaking story.

Marion Ali, Reporting

Rolando Garcia left home on Saturday night, telling his family he was off to hang out with friends, just like he did every Saturday after work. Tragically, less than 24 hours later, the construction worker was found submerged in a ditch on the roadside. His family is left with more questions than answers about what happened after he left home and why he was discharged so quickly from the Northern Regional Hospital early Sunday morning. His nephew, Mark Cabrera, shared with News Five that they were shocked to find Garcia at home on Sunday morning, especially after receiving a call the night before saying he had been taken to the hospital.

Mark Cabrera, Nephew of Deceased

“He told me he was feeling dizzy. His breathing was very labored and he had trouble breathing. He had very shallow breathing, of course, and he had a lot of noise. You could hear wheezing exactly when he was breathing. So thereafter, we contacted my aunt as well to come look for him and we took him inside. I asked him what happened because I saw his head was bandaged up all over and it seemed like the gauze was here (pointing). So I asked him what happened to you? Did someone hit you? Did you fall? He mentioned he doesn’t remember. And, it was not even fifteen minutes after him being there when he started sort of convulsing, I guess, because he said he wanted to spit every time he’s spitting and spitting, I noticed he’s spitting blood.”

“The situation went from bad to worse in no time,” Cabrera recounted. His uncle’s condition deteriorated rapidly, and before they could rush him back to the hospital, he was already limp and motionless.

Mark Cabrera

“He mentioned that he wanted to sleep, that he was tired so we’re speaking, you know, let’s wait a little longer. My aunt is coming and so he was speaking to my mom when he started convulsing. When I looked at him, his eyes were sort of rolling over the place and same time my aunt reached right at the nick of time. We managed to put him in the back of the pickup. We rushed along the way. I was giving him CPR in the back of the pickup, but as soon as we pass, I say around Cuello’s, I saw that his eyes roll back and he became limp. Now that we reached the hospital, I told the doctors my uncle was just released maybe an hour, two hours ago, because we didn’t know exactly how long he was there. The doctors and nurses that came out, they looked at him, they were stunned. Right because they just had attended to him.”

Cabrera shared that when he questioned the medical team about why his uncle was released so quickly, they claimed Rosado had discharged himself voluntarily. However, Cabrera revealed that before his uncle passed away, he told him the exact opposite.

Mark Cabrera

“I was asking them what happened. I mean my uncle was just here you guys should have him for observation. They should have taken care of him. I didn’t know how big his cut was until I was giving him CPR and the bandage fell off. That’s when I saw it was like maybe like four fingers. I was speaking to the doctor, I guess the one in charge. I asked him what happened. I mean my uncle came and you guys didn’t provide proper and due care to my uncle, just stitched him. First they had mentioned that he had already released himself.”

Marion Ali

“Did he tell you before he died if he walked out voluntarily or did they release him?”

Mark Cabrera

“No, he told me that they had released him.”

Marion Ali

“He said they released him?”

Mark Cabrera

“Yeah, they released him, yes.”

Marion Ali

“And what are they saying to you now?”

Mark Cabrera

“They mentioned that he released himself, that he decided to go.”

Whether Garcia left the hospital on his own or was discharged is one of the many questions currently under investigation. Felix Rhaburn, the manager of the Northern Regional Hospital, is at the center of this inquiry.

Marion Ali

“Can you say at this point, whether he voluntarily walked out, released himself, or was released by the hospital?”

Felix Rhaburn, Manager, Northern Regional Hospital

“That is also a part of the investigation.”

Marion Ali

“Is there anything you can share with us preliminarily at this stage?”

Felix Rhaburn

“That it is under investigation.”

Marion Ali

“What about first observations that the medical team made when he came in?”

Felix Rhaburn

“That’s also a part of the investigation.”

Marion Ali

“Can you say when this information will be released?”

Felix Rhaburn

“It is very dependent on the schedule of the postmortem examination.”

Marion Ali

“For the scope of the investigation, who all will be interviewed?”

Felix Rhaburn

“For the investigation, we normally interview the people who had direct contact with the client, and we also go on the report of the postmortem examination.”

Marion Ali

“That would be standard procedure for an investigation?”

Felix Rhaburn

“For the nature of this case, yes.”

The Minister of Health has chosen to hold off on making any comments until the investigation is fully completed.

Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health & Wellness

“I will not respond to something that I don’t have proper information on. So I have, our team is investigating the matter to find out exactly what really transpired. Before I can comment, I prefer to wait until I get a full briefing from the regional manager and through Dr. Polanco, who was doing the research and investigation on that issue.”

Marion Ali for News Five.

A Montenegrin is Investigated for Visa Fraud in Belize

An investigation is currently underway into a suspected case of visa fraud. On February third, a traveler arrived at the Philip Goldson International Airport and presented a fake Belizean visa to an immigration officer. The traveler has been identified as twenty-three-year-old Lazar Krivokapic from Montenegro in the Balkans. Krivokapic, who arrived on a COPA Airlines flight, handed over a travel document that lacked standard security features. Further checks revealed that Krivokapic had previously been denied a Belizean visa. Outside the arrival section at the airport, another individual was waiting to receive him. This person, identified as a resident of Camalote Village, presented a receipt for the previously rejected visa application. News Five has learned that the Special Branch of the Belize Police Department is leading the investigation. News Five also spoke with the Immigration C.E.O., Tanya Santos, for more details.

On the phone: Tanya Santos, C.E.O., Ministry of Immigration

“The individual came in on a flight on Monday evening and presented his documents to the immigration officers and the nationality requires a visa to enter Belize. So the passport was viewed and the visa that was in the passport, the immigration officers noted right away that it looked suspicious and on closer inspection, it was determined to be a fraudulent, appear to be a fraudulent visa. So they reviewed it a little closer and discussed it a little further and transferred and did some interviews with the traveler and eventually included Special Branch in these interview processes.”

Camalote Resident Charged for Immigration Offense

The Belize Immigration Department is investigating an alleged case of visa fraud, leading to criminal charges against a Belizean consultant from the Cayo District. The accused, forty-nine-year-old Craig Elliott Martin, who holds dual citizenship in Belize and Jamaica, claims to run his own consulting business in Camalote Village. This morning, around ten a.m., Craig was escorted to the Belize City Magistrate’s Court on a charge of fabricating a permit. He appeared before a Senior Magistrate, alongside his attorney, Orson “OJ” Elrington, and pleaded not guilty. The allegations state that on January seventeenth, 2025, in Camalote Village, Craig fabricated a document to help Lazar Krivokapic enter Belize without a visa. Head of Prosecution, Alifah Elrington, represented the crown and requested that Craig surrender all his travel documents due to his dual citizenship. Despite his Jamaican passport being expired for over twenty years, the court granted Craig bail with strict conditions, including surrendering all travel documents and reporting to the Belmopan Police Station every Friday. Craig’s next court date is set for April fourth, 2025, in the Belmopan Magistrate’s Court. After his arraignment, Craig was served with another charge related to aiding in the fabrication of an immigration offense. He pleaded not guilty to this charge as well. Since both charges stem from the same circumstances, his initial bail conditions remained. Craig was able to post bail by late afternoon after surrendering his travel documents and securing Belizean sureties. Attorney OJ Elrington spoke with the media after the arraignment.

Lawsuit Against ComPol and Godson Dismissed

Ryan Melendez, a construction worker from San Pedro, filed a lawsuit against the Attorney General, the Commissioner of Police, and Sergeant Devon Makin. Melendez alleged that on July sixth, 2024, Makin struck him on the head with a gun while on the island. He claimed that Makin acted negligently and wrongfully with his firearm, seeking damages for negligence, assault, and battery. Melendez stated that Makin used a weapon to hit him in the face, causing bodily harm and using excessive force. In response, Makin disputed the allegations, explaining that he was approached by two minors who said they were being chased by armed individuals. Makin argued that he acted cautiously to ensure his safety due to the perceived threat and was fulfilling his duty as a police officer to protect life and property. Ultimately, the case was dismissed because Melendez did not provide the Government of Belize with the required thirty days’ notice before filing the claim. Makin was represented by Attorney Hector Guerra. However, Melendez still has the option to refile the case with proper notice.

Which U.D.P. Faction is Using Red on Election Day?

Alberto August, an Opposition Member of the Elections & Boundaries Commission, has taken aim at the Facebook blog “Hot Off the Press” for spreading misleading information about the assignment of political colors for the 2025 General Election. In his statement, August said, “this is in response to the grossly misleading post broadcast by untrained individuals posing as journalists on the Facebook platform ‘Hot Off the Press.’ It’s actions like these that tarnish the noble profession of journalism”. He clarified that while the assignment of colors was discussed extensively in a recent Commission meeting, no final decision has been made yet. August explained that the Commission unanimously agreed that, under Section 15 (4) of the Third Schedule (Election Rules) of the Representation of the People Act, Chapter 9, they must first consult with political parties contesting the election before making a final decision. He added, “For this to move forward legally, the Alliance for Democracy Party, led by their acting leader Tracy Panton, must first declare itself a political party, as the Commission can only consult with ‘political parties contesting the election”.