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An elderly woman was found dead in Trial Farm Village yesterday. It was initially reported as a possible crime but the news tonight is that it wasn’t. 62 year old Elena Bennett Paige, a Honduran national, died of natural causes. Still it was a curious death because of how she was found. Keith Swift has more.

Keith Swift Reporting,
Neighbours found 62 year old Elena Bennett Paige’s body in a sitting position in this metal chair on the verandah of her home in Trial Farm Village yesterday afternoon around midday.

Lesly Amaya, Neighbour
“When I came like 12 o’clock to give my kids food I saw the lady with the underwear like down. I said mek I check good, if I the see good and I was calling her, saying Miss Helen, Miss Helen, and she didn’t answer me and when I went closer, I saw her not breathing and I told my daughter I think this lady dead and I got frightened and afterwards I just started calling my neighbour. My neighbour had credit and she called the police and everything.”

Elena Bennett Paige was dead and Orange Walk Police who removed the body after processing the scene say that no foul play was involved.

Insp. Selvin Tillett, Orange Walk Police
“We saw no physical or no foul play suspected at this moment.”

Keith Swift,
“So you believe it was a natural death?”

Insp. Selvin Tillett,
“More than likely because as I said no foul play is suspected at this moment.”

Keith Swift,
“Will a post mortem be conducted?”

Insp. Selvin Tillett,
“That will be dependent on whether if we get a medical history showing that she is sickly and it is the family’s decision then it will depend on that. Like I said we are not sure what happened but at this moment as I said we suspect no foul play.”

Keith Swift,
“We understand her underwear had been disturbed. What does that tell you, is that a factor?”

Insp. Selvin Tillett,
“At this moment I cannot say whether that is true or not.”

Elena’s family says they don’t need a post mortem and accept that their mother’s death was natural. But her son in law Ernie Gill says that what they can’t accept is how police handled the case and them.

Ernie Gill, Son in Law of Deceased
“When we first came yesterday and we went to the Police Department, we were informed at the time by Corporal Williams that they didn’t suspect any foul play and that an autopsy wouldn’t have to be conducted on the body but that that decision would be left to us if we would want to go ahead an carry out with the autopsy. Now when we were coming up today, we were listening to the radio and we heard it on the media, I believe it is Estereo Amor, in Orange Walk, they were stating that the police told them that foul play is suspected and that an autopsy would be carried out in the week. So now being the loved one, we are between who is telling the truth.

He told us that there was no foul play involved and yet the media is saying that the police said that foul play is suspected and when we went peacefully to try and talk to him and trying to clear it up and see where the mistake has been made, he took a stance of defense.”

Keith Swift,
“The family is saying they haven’t heard if foul play was suspected. They said they are not sure. Has the police been communicating with them?”

Insp. Selvin Tillett,
“Yes she has a daughter who is a nurse and we have the corporal of police always communicating with her.”

Ernie Gill,
“So we as the loved ones, we are at a situation of whose really telling the truth and I think that this is something that’s going in Belize so many times. We have officers that really can’t conduct themselves properly in a real professional manner. They always talk about wanting support from the public and the public to work along with them but it is kind of hard to work along with somebody that tends to come across as being shady. So all we’re asking is, as I explained to him, is we are not accusing him – we are just explaining to him the situation that one spell we hear this situation from you and then the other spell we hear another information from the media.”

We were assisted in that story with footage from CTV-3 in Orange Walk. Although Elena Paige had a house in Trial Farm she lived in Belize City with her daughter who is a nurse. She told us her mother makes weekly trips to trial farm to feed the dog and was expected to return home in Belize City today. No post mortem was conducted and a doctor classified her cause of death as a heart condition.