An Orange Walk family's worst fear was realized this morning. Before midday, police found Marta Gonzalez's partially decomposed body in Pomona on the Stann Creek Valley Road. According to the family, Gonzalez left her San Felipe home early Friday morning to sell cheese and other goods in Pomona. She would normally travel on the 15th and ending of every month so she could also collect from buyers who owed her. This has been her routine for years but something went terribly wrong on this trip when she went to collect from a customer. She was killed. Information is that her body was wrapped in a grey tarp and dumped in a pit latrine at the back of a yard. When we got to the scene this afternoon, the family was there waiting patiently for police to move her body. Gonzalez's son in law spoke with us off camera and explained how their search led them to this yard in Pomona.
Voice of: Delfino Garcia, Son-in-law
"We started to worry from Saturday, because she normally would come back n Saturday at her house on the last bus that runs to San Felipe, 8pm. But she didn't went. That is when we started to look. We came way to Pomona that same night to look for her."
"Yesterday, one of my brother-in-law got the call and he contacted everyone. I called this person yesterday."
Reporter
"When you came here, what did the police say? What did you guys see?"
Voice of: Delfino Garcia, Son-in-law
"The first thing we did was come by Miss Lucia house and we found out that it was true my mother-in-law Miss Martha, came here and left 2 bags with her. We went to Dangriga Police Station and there we made this report and that is how the police came together with us and we came to search this area."
"Her children went to look in the orchard in the bushes. The police went to the houses. The police came to this house first and the people in there told them that they didn't see her and we told the police that we were not leaving from here, because this is the spot people say they saw her. We found one of her little buckets right in front of the house where she was last seen."
Reporter
"Do you guys have any idea why anyone would want to harm your mother-in-law?"
Voice of: Delfino Garcia, Son-in-law
"According to the neighbors from around here told us this young man from that house is known for being a violent person. He already chopped someone - a couple of persons from around here and he goes to the police and comes out. But this person owed my mother-in-law. I don't know what she had sold him. Maybe it was for men clothing."
When we spoke to the family this evening around 4:30 they were on their way to Burrell Boom where the post mortem will be conducted. Gonzalez was 68 years old. She leaves behind 7 kids. Her son in law said that they were all trying to convince her to stop going around to sell but she didn't want to stop. Police are looking for a person of interest. We will keep following this case.
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