7 News Belize

11 Year Old Drowns in Bucket in Belama
posted (December 12, 2018)
An 11 month old drowned last night at her parents' Albert Hoy Street home in Belama Phase 3. Baby Marianne slipped into a bucket of water and drowned. Courtney Weatherburne found out more about this terrible tragedy and how one oversight cost the baby her life. Here is that story.

Courtney Weatherburne reporting
The Vasquez's of Belama Phase 3 had the most terrible night.

Their 11 month old baby girl Marianne drowned in this wash room inside a bucket just like this one.

According to the father, Daren Vasquez, his wife was cooking dinner, and he was outside talking to a guest. Their 8 year old son was playing with Marianne in the room until he ran to the store. That's when baby Marianne slipped away.

Daren Vasquez, Father
"When he arrived back, my wife told him go and see what the baby is doing so when he went into the room and came out back and said mom the baby isn't there she said no man, go an check in the hall where the bathroom area is and he went and looked and said she isn't there either so my nephew and brother is outside and I ask them do you have the baby with you and they said no."

They all went looking for her all around the house until they found her submerged, head first in the bucket.

Daren Vasquez, Father
"I heard her scream out and she said no, not my baby, I was still outside here and when I heard her say that, I left whatever I was saying and went inside when she said no and scream and I saw her come out with my baby in her hand and her lip was a bit blue so instant I took the baby and pump her and blew in her mouth so she started to vomit out water but she wasn't moving or anything like that."

They raced over to the hospital but there was nothing more the doctors could do.

Vasquez says that they normally have this section closed off with this plank but since they were moving about in the house they forgot to close it off. Vasquez later found some toilet paper in the bucket, he says little Marianne was probably playing with it when it fell inside. She bent over to get it and fell in head first. Vasquez says there was about 6 inches of water in the bucket. It's the worst loss for a parent and even more so for Vasquez because he had wanted a little princess for so long.

Daren Vasquez, Father
"You see, I get operation almost 7 years now and doctor told me I won't be able to make any more kids, after I had my son, so I start pray and ask God if he could please give me a daughter, I move from Teakettle like two years and half and I come back to Belama and this is where I get my daughter just for a couple months now she is gone."

Now the family just wants to mourn their little girl in peace.

Daren Vasquez, Father
"You know they have a lot of people talking and the judge my wife wrong, all I am asking for them to stop because, not all mothers are like that, they don't know the love they have for them, my wife is doing a lot of thing in one and it is not for only me but for all of us. So all I am asking is for them to stop judge my wife because you never know when you lose a loved one like that especially a 11 month old baby, we would never do anything like that to take away my baby like that because I love that little girl a lot."

Courtney Weatherburne, reporter
"So it is not a case of neglect it is just that you guys left her alone for a couple minutes."

Daren Vasquez, Father
"Just a couple minutes she was left alone."

A couple too many.

Police will conduct a post mortem and then determine how to proceed with the parents.

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