7 News Belize

Murder Wasn't The Case in Death of Cyril Coleman
posted (June 26, 2008)

Street character Cyril Coleman was not murdered, that’s the finding of a post mortem today. When his body was retrieved from the waters off the Radisson Pier around two yesterday afternoon, it was apparent that fish had already started eating it. But what appeared to be a puncture wound to the throat led to speculation that Belize City police had another murder on their hands.

But this afternoon a post mortem conducted by Chief Pathologist Dr. Mario Estradabran revealed that there were no external or internal signs of violence. Nor was there any evidence to indicate that Cyril Coleman was killed. But beyond that it is inconclusive. Estrabdaran says there was nothing found like water in the lungs to suggest that he drowned. Estradabran told 7NEWS while the post mortem confirmed that it was not a case of homicide or drowning, due to the state of decomposition, the conclusive cause of death could not be determined.

Following the post mortem 7NEWS spoke with the bereaved family who still believes that someone is responsible.

Ienna Sealy, Aunt of Deceased
“Well he said unknown and I don’t know any sickness called unknown nor no death which you can say unknown if you are a physician. So the family is upset and we are not satisfied.”

Jacqueline Godwin,
Do you believe that someone is responsible for your nephew’s death?

Ienna Sealy,
“I do believe that because I saw the body and I know what I saw so I am not satisfied but he said that so I know the police won’t look into anything. He wandered far; he was always on Queen’s Street or Orange Street, Albert Street, New Road where he says he lives- doesn’t go too far so I don’t know how he reached up there. I don’t understand it. I don’t understand how he got there. I asked the doctor if there was any water in the lung, because I know when you drown you have water in your lungs, and he said no. He said no water in the stomach, no water in the lung. So how did he die? He said he couldn’t tell me because the body was decomposed but I’ve seen bodies decomposed more than that and they tell the cause of death. So that is why I get so upset.

I know that my nephew would have died on the street because he lived on the street and there was nothing we could have done to keep him off. He didn’t want to be in a house. I put him at two different homes already and he stayed a week and walked out. But I don’t expect for nobody to hurt him because he is not a mental case that is violent. He is not violent. He eats at me on Fridays and Saturdays and the last time he ate at me was Saturday and he was perfect, good good and people told me that they saw him yesterday morning. So then I don’t understand what happened. But I’ll leave everything to God Jackie because I know that he is the best judge and he will work it out.”

Cyril Coleman would have turned forty five on July twenty fifth. He will be laid to rest on Friday morning.

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