7 News Belize

Police Waiting For DNA to Call It Doren
posted (July 15, 2019)
And while the family is grieving tonight their slain son and brother tonight - police are not calling it a homicide, nor are they confirming the identity. Here's what the head of CIB told the media today:..

ASP Alejandro Cowo- OC CIB
"At this moment the body was retrieved an a postmortem is being conducted at this moment. We cannot tell you or confirm if that body is that of that missing person up to now. We believe that a DNA test has to be done to confirm if indeed that is the missing person Dorian Grinage."

Jules Vasquez- Reporter
"Reportedly, the family has concluded that it is their loved one, based on the boxers or based on certain clothing. Are you able to say if that is a suitable identifier?"

ASP Alejandro Cowo
"For the family it probably is but not for us. We just cannot go by the clothing that the person had when they found the body. Remember, we just found the body of a person, therefore we will collect swabs from the different family members and then we'll do a DNA test to determine whether or not it is the person that is missing."

Reporter
"Were there any visible injuries on the body?"

ASP Alejandro Cowo
"The body was already in a state of decomposition and I cannot tell you the results yet because the postmortem is still being conducted at this moment."

Jules Vasquez
"Are you able to say, we know that DNA will take six months, and in that time the trail may go cold- so to speak. Might it not be argued that it would be wiser to investigate it as a homicide right now? Yes, you need the proof but if you don't investigate it as a homicide right now you may lose; certain clues that are alive right now may go dead."

ASP Alejandro Cowo
"Remember, I just mentioned that the postmortem result is not out as yet. The doctor has not concluded the postmortem. Depending on what the postmortem is saying, whether it was a homicide or not, then we will still have to investigate the matter. We will not wait to get a DNA result to continue with the investigation."

Jules Vasquez
"Right now, from the perspective of the police, we have a missing person, who remains missing, and human remains found. Have you all been looking into the case of the missing person, in so far as, why someone may have wanted a 16 year old dead, if indeed he is dead?"

ASP Alejandro Cowo
"We have detained several persons over the weekend and yes we understand that he had been having trouble with another group of male persons from that village. There are two different groups that are in that village who are having problems among them and we believe that probably it is something related to- why he disappeared."

The village youths who had a dispute with Grinage have been questioned and released. DNA tests have to be sent to Jamaica and usually take about 6 months.

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