Important Note: This Internet version of 7 News is a verbatum
transcript of our evening television news script. Many interviews on our newscast
are conducted in Creole. In the interest of clarity for our foreign readers,
we attempt to paraphrase the Creole quotes in English
A road traffic accident on the TV Ramos Highway has claimed the lives of a 34 year old woman and a four year old girl, leaving two families devastated. Several other passengers have also been left injured.
The incident occurred on Saturday night, sometime before 9 when an NBC bus - which was traveling from San Juan towards the Bella Vista junction - collided into the vehicle which was parked.
Jaleeza Roberts visited the families of the victims today and files this report:
Two people, 34 year old Elaine Sherri Mejia and 4 year old Taleeni Garbutt are dead following a traffic accident involving a National Bus Company bus and a blue car which occurred on the Thomas Vincent Ramos Highway near San Juan Village. Additional occupants of the vehicle were three year old Aveon Choc, 30 year old Risa Bol and 53 year old Alston Hope. Thirty two year old Walton Garbutt, Taleenis's father also sustained injuries, including a broken left foot, and was attended to at the Southern Regional Hospital. In today's briefing with the media, police explained that the driver of the vehicle pulled over to the side of the road to park and that's when when they were met with this unfortunate fate.
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer "What the investigation has disclosed so far or has suggested so far is that the car was parked on the road because they had to make a stop to allow for one of the passengers to release themselves and it is believe that the bus which was traveling the opposite direction south to swerve and prevent a collision however he was not able to successfully avoid contact with the car and that resulted in the injuries of those persons and the death of the adult and the child. I will also say that review of the car showed or gave an indication that there was alcohol consumption being done and that is an area that we are looking at because it would want to appear that the vehicle was not fully where it ought to have been it was indeed in the path of oncoming traffic when they made the stop."
"A urine sample has been obtained from the driver of the bus as well as a notice of intended prosecution has been served on him."
But even with him being served with an NIP, the families that were tightly knit will never be the same again. Elaine "Sherri" Mejia's family remembers her in this way:
Family member "From the time I met Sherri I liked her. My brother came and I said what you have a girlfriend, wow. He brought Sherri and i'm not the one giving this account because Sherri is not here. Anybody who is watching this and see her with our family, see her with our friends knows what I am talking about."
Reporter "How will the family cope with this situation that you guys have to face now?"
Family member "As I said I think that I need strength on me, but I am not going any place. This is my brother and I have my whole family backing."
And the grandfather of Taleeni Garbutt says that his granddaughter was as sweet as they came:
Walter Garbutt, Grandfather of Deceased "People are inclined to Give you all praises But I have seven children six sons and a daughter and I have to reflect very hard to find out if any of them was as sweet as she was. She's the type of Picture you look at and you can't but love her. She is extremely affectionate Friendly You know, there are children that you meet and they run away from you she's she's different She would be a child. That's easy to steal She she was that type of person."
"And so that is probably The hardest part for the father the mother the relatives and of course the grandparents, but anybody that met her She gives an absolute you you will see the picture on the in the pub in the social media And as I've said, she's a natural Beauty and Her personality is even more beautiful than her face. She is just an awesome person."
But he also explained that those roads are especially dark at night:
Walter Garbutt, Grandfather of Deceased "All those areas are pretty dark. There's no lighting. Absolutely. No lighting I don't think before you get to San Juan or then when you get towards the road more towards Bella Vista and then down to independence before you have any lighting so it's a relatively dark area and there were lots of rain over the weekend. And so those definitely could contribute okay, it's dark and it's not white pavement, it's dark."
And for both families, even though there are survivors, this tragedy is difficult to accept:
Walter Garbutt, Grandfather of Deceased "So it's our loss. It's it's it's there's no winning it it's fortunate that In my son and his partner are alive, it's fortunate that the driver is alive and a little boy but him the My son lost his daughter and the driver lost his partner and and so it's grieving families from every Perspective it's grateful that some are alive, but for the others, it's it's it's a tragedy It's an absolute tragedy."
Jaleeza Roberts, 7 News.
The NBC bus driver has been served an Notice of intended prosecution. The NBC issued a statement of condolence to the families expressing that quote, "the safety and well-being of our passengers, employees, and all road users remain a foremost priority for the NBC." End quote.
Two men were targeted by a gunman as they left a football game on Sunday night in Carolina Village, Corozal. One of those men, a Coast Guardsman, held on to life until this morning, when he succumbed to his injuries.
35 year old Petty Officer Lionel Logan was on "shore leave," that is, he had completed his duties at the Coast Guard base and was on time off. Today when we spoke with the commandant Admiral Gregory Soberanis, he said that Logan was a hard worker and well loved on the base.
Gregory Soberanis, Commander, BCG "We received a report yesterday evening that one of our sailors, Petty Officer Logan, was involved in a shooting incident where he sustained gunshot wounds. At the time, we were also informed that he was taken to the hospital in Corozal and was in critical condition."
"Later on, we got news that he was being transported to the KHMH to receive further medical attention. This morning was when we got word from his family that he had passed away."
"He was a well-loved member of the Coast Guard family. He worked in our maintenance engineering department where they are responsible for the maintenance of our facilities."
"He also worked on the repairs and maintenance of our vessels. He was a technical sailor, skilled in fiberglass work and other types of work. He would help with electrical work and plumbing."
"He was one of the skilled workers when it came to technical proficiency here in the Belize Coast Guard. He was always engaged with other sailors. You would see him smile. He would be laughing. As a result, like I said, by those who knew him well here in the organization, he was well-loved and respected here. He was always someone who was diligent and ensured that his work was done to the highest of standards."
"Outside of the Coast Guard, I know he enjoyed sporting activities and that was one of his hobbies. Like I said, in the context of knowing him and what type of person he was, he was generally confined to what he did here on the Coast Guard base. We had what we call a muster this morning."
"We had an assembly with members of the Coast Guard and all those who were available this morning. Like I said, Logan was well-known and well-loved by the Coast Guard family. We came together."
"The leadership here had a time of prayer with our sailors. We prayed for his family as well as they go through this challenging time of bereavement."
And today, the police gave details on their investigation into this murder. ASP Smith told us the department is familiar with both victims.
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer "Police are investigating a shooting incident which resulted in the death of 35 year old Lionel Logan and the injury of 28 year old Julian Dyer both of Corozal district. The investigation commenced at around 6:45Pm on Sunday 18th October 2026 when police were advised of a shooting incident in Carolina Village Corozal district. What the investigation has so far disclosed is that both Logan and dyer were traveling onboard an SUV after leaving a football game and they were happened upon by several male persons who drove up alongside them onboard a van and fired into that vehicle resulting in the injury of these persons. Mr Logan eventually succumbed to the injuries he sustained earlier today whilst Mr Dyer is listed in stable condition."
Reporter "Any motive?"
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer "No motive has been established so far however I will say that these persons that are known to the police."
Reporter "Were either of them the intended target?"
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer "Pardon?"
Reporter "Were either of them the intended target?"
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer "No motive has been established so far but as I have indicated they are persons who have come under police radar before."
This evening, there was tension at the Stake Bank compound at Mile 5 on the George Price Highway when a member of the Feinstein family reportedly tried to force his way into the site. Reports are that he took the keys to a vessel and made off with it. The situation escalated when a forklift appeared and the driver tried to lift the gate off its hinges.
Additional reports state that the vessel is registered under Mike Feinstein's name, but that there is a sale agreement between him and Stake Bank. The vessel was understood by SBEL to be registered and licensed to the company in receivership.
There is a long-running court battle between Feinstein and the Receiver over the Mile 5 property, including an injunction that was granted last month. We'll keep following this story.
At the end of last month, Tropic Air announced it would be closing its Punta Gorda branch on November 1st. Immediately after, the BTIA Toledo Chapter organized a public meeting during which the area rep was present. The residents of Toledo are concerned about that without the airstrip functioning, they will lose connectivity with the rest of the country. Their economy will also feel the effects of fewer tourists visiting.
With only two weeks left, today PG residents organized a protest. Here is a look at how that went:
Concerned Resident "This is a serious matter that is getting urgent and more urgent by the day. We have like 10,11, 12 days left and we're just gonna, this whole lifeline to PG in Toledo is going to be cut off. Yes, from a tourism standpoint we're getting our members telling us that bookings are being cancelled."
Protester "And this concern for Punta Gora, I think it's not the best thing for PG to stop a traffic air coming to PG. It's an essential flight and so we need to rally with Mr Mejia so that we can continue this traffic coming to PG."
Protester 2 "I think this fall at the feet of the government and I believe that we should pressure them to find a solution to this problem because traffic air is our business and based on their press release they are stating that they are losing money."
"So we're asking the government to take complete control to fix this problem immediately."
Wil Maheia "It has been more than two weeks where they, we had this big meeting at BTIA office two weeks, more than two weeks ago. The area rep left that meeting to have a meeting in Belize in San Pedro with Tropic or Maya."
"He did say that he would have met with a Tropic Air CEO and would have gone to cabinet and so far there has been no official response. Right now today is the 19th. It is less than two weeks and there's absolutely no infrastructure here for Maya who they claim would fly."
"I mean one of the reasons why Maya had left PG is because it wasn't working out for them. People were not riding their plane. If you look throughout this country at all the terminals, Tropic have the crowd, the people are riding with Tropic."
"So I mean if you, if in the interests of the people and in the interest of health, if somebody gets sick now, how are they going to fly out? So this is not only about tourism, this is about Punta Gorda. I would have, you know, right now you have 14 people who have officially announced that they will run to represent this town. I don't see any of them out here."
"How serious are these people that they will represent this town? They want this job but they are not out here fighting for the job for the people from Tropic or fighting for air connectivity. It's really not happening."
In the press release issued in September, the airline cited sustained financial losses, rising operational costs, and long-term commercial unviability as reasons for its proposed closure.
Last week, we told you that police had launched an investigation into a counselor at Muffles High School who was accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with a student. Today, that counselor, 31 year old Hedyn Mendez, was arraigned on two charges. ASP Smith told us more.
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer "Police have arrested and charged Hedyn Mendez 31 years of age a Belizean counsellor for the crimes of sexual assault and encouraging child pornography. The investigation began when officers came across a screenshot circulating on social media which suggested explicit conduct between this individual and a student. As a consequence of this the investigators visited the institution whereby they apprised them of their discovery and they also made contact with the parent of the child and the child and involved the human services department. A number of statements were recorded a number of items of exhibit were retrieved and as a consequence of that investigation the charges as stated were laid. Mr Mendez was taken to court today where he was granted bail."
Over the weekend a video emerged of a police officer placing a civilian in a chokehold in Unitedville. This video added to the debate about how officers should apprehend citizens in dangerous and tense situations, and what level of force is necessary.
We asked ASP Smith about this today and here's how she addressed the incident.
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer "What I will say is that chokehold is regarded as deadly force in our policies and our procedural manual much like firing a weapon at someone or hitting someone in the head with a baton or any other major object. And because it is regarded as deadly force it must be sued as a last resort when there is an imminent threat to life or to injury in terms of previous bodily harm so those are the circumstances in which chokehold can be used. I will also say that the manual also provides for the use of deadly force under which chokehold fine forms the matter to prevent an arrest from being defeated similarly when there is a risk of death or grievous bodily harm so it is on this backdrop that an internal investigation is being conducted to determine whether the circumstances at hand were warranted the use of such."
"I will say that I have seen and it is a practice that is encouraged the use of pepper spray I've that desecrated many tense situations and certainly that may have assisted and may have been useful on that occasion but from what I observed the officers on that occasion did not physically have it with them."
And in Belize City, Police are investigating an attempted murder after two men were shot while socializing in a yard on King Street on Saturday night. The victims, identified as 27 year old Deon Jones and 43 year old Lloyd Faber, were transported to the KHMH for treatment. According to police, the shooting happened at around 10:20 while Four men were in the yard. A male person emerged from behind a building and fired several shots in their direction, injuring Jones and Faber. The investigation is ongoing.
Belize is currently mourning a well-respected educator and guardian of the Garifuna culture and heritage, 79 year old Sebastian Cayetano. Today we spoke with one of his sons, Channel 5's News Director Isani Cayetano, about his passing, and the significant loss not only to his family but also to the community. Jomarie Lanza has this story.
Sebastian Cayetano "We will begin with two themes, the first theme is the Garifuna world view " Au Bun, Amuru Nu" "Awakes Mama Lau" meaning I for you and you for me is the Garifuna way let us move forward."
One of Belize's cultural giants, educator and guardian of the Garifuna culture has passed away due to medical complications. 79 year old Sebastian Cayetano, former president of the The National Garifuna Council and caretaker of the Luba Garifuna Museum, was diagnosed with an enlarged heart five years ago.When we spoke to his son Isani Cayetano this morning he told us that they did not expect his father's condition to suddenly decline.
Isani Cayetano, Son of Sebastian Cayetano "About a week, a week and a half or so ago he took ill but it wasn't what we initially thought right he complained about perhaps something that he ate that was making him feel bad so he was thinking it was a case of food poisoning. Took him to the hospital, they treated him but we did not really Get an understanding that it was actually food poisoning or whatever else it was he was released, went back home and everything seemed normal in the beginning then the man started to complain about the same symptoms again so we took him for a second opinion and right away we were made aware that it was his kidneys that were failing and it disrupted how his heart was able to pump blood through his system. None the less they were treating him and he was set for release on Friday. He was up beat we had a conversation, my brother and his wife prayed with him. Everything was normal up to 8:00 on Thursday night that is when I get a call that things went down hill from there."
Cayetano has spent almost 4 decades of his life as an educator throughout both primary and secondary schools. The last time we met with him was November 2025, as the Luba Garifuna Museum prepared for student tours ahead of Garifuna Settlement Day. Cayetano had a deep passion for teaching those on the history and the contributions of the Garinagu.
Sebastian Cayetano, Former President, NGC "This one stop when it comes to Garifuna. Everything is here, and it is very educational. Just a while ago ACC a class from ACC was here and man they were good they asked questions and I explained to them and I gave them a tour of the museum, on Wednesday gone this museum was 26 years old. yes since we arrived here since we settled here. And since then we have been having visitors from Belize, Central America the Caribbean and the whole world. People want to know about the Garifuna and the Garinagu so they come here and they get the information they need."
Isani Cayetano, Son of Sebastian Cayetano "My dad taught thousands of Belizeans. My dad was instrumental in putting Garifuna culture on the map not only here in Belize but across the world. My dad was also a devout spiritual leader right so, so part of our community life has been St Martin's Parish where my dad was a lay minister and so he did everything that you could think about and as a justice of the peace people flocked to him for signatures to help with documents and stuff like that so he is widely known and highly regarded in this country."
"My dad was for all the years he was here as a high school teacher he was a fixture at Gwen Lizarraga high school."
"But he also made his name in education in Belize city right other there at St Johns the extension or evening division so that is how he has taught all these many people across this country. Back then they were young men and women, now they are grown men and women who remember him for what he did and how he impacted their life and again they just overwhelming came together and said lets help and for that I am appreciative."
And though Cayetano's teachings will remain imprinted on the many lives he taught, his son says for him he will remember his father for his optimism and ability to overcome any difficulty he encountered.
Isani Cayetano, Son of Sebastian Cayetano "I've come to terms with his loss because I saw every stage of his life and I saw when he began going down hill but death is for everybody right? We don't here to stay so I am learning to accept and appreciate that this is the other part of this whole chapter."
"My dad was always able to find the silver lining in any cloud so faced with adversity or challenges my dad always looked at the glass as half full as opposed to half empty and many of us don't have that in us a lot of us look at situations and be like I cant figure it out or it is impossible or I don't know how to begin or how to do it my dad always had this gift of being piste and with that positivity he found a way to and it is seldom about him but more about about the people he was called to serve and I think that is what a lot of people remember about him and I think that forms the basis of his legacy."
The family is still working on funeral arrangements.
And now switching back to crime, in the past 4 months, the police have seen new leadership in the form of new ministers and now a new CEO. However, they say the crime fighting efforts have not changed. Today, ASP Smith explained what the continuous strategies are like:
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer "In the operational strategy in Belize it is something that is welcome it is something that we believe is having an effect however not withstanding whatever amount of resources being personnel that we put out they cannot cover every ingle quarter of the city so that is not to say that if there is an incident that means the deployment of the BDF along with the police officers is not effective there are just certain things that cannot be prevented."
Reporter- "What can you tell us if anything at this point about the morale within the rank of the Belize police department in the face of multiple leadership changes over the last few months we have seen at least 3 ministers that is come and go."
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer "Well I don't know if I can be conclusive as it relates to the morale without getting their mandate or their input and going on the record but what I can say with a level of confidence is that as police officers it does not matter who is at the helm of the ministry our duty as police officers remains our mandate remains many of us join the department before some of these persons even had political aspirations so it is not done to appease whatever political person is at the helm it is our duty, our duty remains respective of who is in charge of the ship or who is at the helm of the ministry."
And finally, tonight, the National Sports Council of Belize held a Send-Off Ceremony for the athletes who will represent Belize at the 2026 CODICADER Disability Games in Guatemala. The games are scheduled for October 25-31.
This is Belize's third appearance at these regional Games, which bring together young athletes with disabilities from across Central America. At the ceremony, Minister of Sports Anthony Mahler gave a short speech. Here is a snippet.
Anthony Mahler, Minister of Sports "Sports for me and I'm sure I'm speaking on behalf of the minister provides discipline, it provides opportunity for you to travel, it provides opportunities for you to meet other people, it provides for you to express yourself, burn energy, learn a lot of things like he and I did when we were playing sports growing up. All I want to say today and I won't be long is for you to represent yourselves at the highest level. Represent your families, represent your country, represent your schools, represents all of us, you are a reflection of all of us, we appreciate you, we respect you, we care for you and we want to wish you all the best in the upcoming events."
Belize's delegation comprises of 63 members: 34 athletes and 29 officials and support personnel. The team includes students from 10 schools across the Belize, Cayo, Toledo and Orange Walk districts.
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A road traffic accident on the TV Ramos Highway has claimed the lives of a 34 year old woman and a four year old girl, leaving two families devastated. Several other passengers have also been left injured.
"What the investigation has disclosed so far or has suggested so far is that the car was parked on the road because they had to make a stop to allow for one of the passengers to release themselves and it is believe that the bus which was traveling the opposite direction south to swerve and prevent a collision however he was not able to successfully avoid contact with the car and that resulted in the injuries of those persons and the death of the adult and the child. I will also say that review of the car showed or gave an indication that there was alcohol consumption being done and that is an area that we are looking at because it would want to appear that the vehicle was not fully where it ought to have been it was indeed in the path of oncoming traffic when they made the stop."
"From the time I met Sherri I liked her. My brother came and I said what you have a girlfriend, wow. He brought Sherri and i'm not the one giving this account because Sherri is not here. Anybody who is watching this and see her with our family, see her with our friends knows what I am talking about."
"People are inclined to Give you all praises But I have seven children six sons and a daughter and I have to reflect very hard to find out if any of them was as sweet as she was. She's the type of Picture you look at and you can't but love her. She is extremely affectionate Friendly You know, there are children that you meet and they run away from you she's she's different She would be a child. That's easy to steal She she was that type of person."
Two men were targeted by a gunman as they left a football game on Sunday night in Carolina Village, Corozal. One of those men, a Coast Guardsman, held on to life until this morning, when he succumbed to his injuries.
"He was a well-loved member of the Coast Guard family. He worked in our maintenance engineering department where they are responsible for the maintenance of our facilities."
This evening, there was tension at the Stake Bank compound at Mile 5 on the George Price Highway when a member of the Feinstein family reportedly tried to force his way into the site. Reports are that he took the keys to a vessel and made off with it. The situation escalated when a forklift appeared and the driver tried to lift the gate off its hinges.
At the end of last month, Tropic Air announced it would be closing its Punta Gorda branch on November 1st. Immediately after, the BTIA Toledo Chapter organized a public meeting during which the area rep was present. The residents of Toledo are concerned about that without the airstrip functioning, they will lose connectivity with the rest of the country. Their economy will also feel the effects of fewer tourists visiting.
"This is a serious matter that is getting urgent and more urgent by the day. We have like 10,11, 12 days left and we're just gonna, this whole lifeline to PG in Toledo is going to be cut off. Yes, from a tourism standpoint we're getting our members telling us that bookings are being cancelled."
Protester 2
"I mean one of the reasons why Maya had left PG is because it wasn't working out for them. People were not riding their plane. If you look throughout this country at all the terminals, Tropic have the crowd, the people are riding with Tropic."
Last week, we told you that police had launched an investigation into a counselor at Muffles High School who was accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with a student. Today, that counselor, 31 year old Hedyn Mendez, was arraigned on two charges. ASP Smith told us more.
Belize is currently mourning a well-respected educator and guardian of the Garifuna culture and heritage, 79 year old Sebastian Cayetano. Today we spoke with one of his sons, Channel 5's News Director Isani Cayetano, about his passing, and the significant loss not only to his family but also to the community. Jomarie Lanza has this story.
"We will begin with two themes, the first theme is the Garifuna world view " Au Bun, Amuru Nu" "Awakes Mama Lau" meaning I for you and you for me is the Garifuna way let us move forward."
"About a week, a week and a half or so ago he took ill but it wasn't what we initially thought right he complained about perhaps something that he ate that was making him feel bad so he was thinking it was a case of food poisoning. Took him to the hospital, they treated him but we did not really Get an understanding that it was actually food poisoning or whatever else it was he was released, went back home and everything seemed normal in the beginning then the man started to complain about the same symptoms again so we took him for a second opinion and right away we were made aware that it was his kidneys that were failing and it disrupted how his heart was able to pump blood through his system. None the less they were treating him and he was set for release on Friday. He was up beat we had a conversation, my brother and his wife prayed with him. Everything was normal up to 8:00 on Thursday night that is when I get a call that things went down hill from there."
"This one stop when it comes to Garifuna. Everything is here, and it is very educational. Just a while ago ACC a class from ACC was here and man they were good they asked questions and I explained to them and I gave them a tour of the museum, on Wednesday gone this museum was 26 years old. yes since we arrived here since we settled here. And since then we have been having visitors from Belize, Central America the Caribbean and the whole world. People want to know about the Garifuna and the Garinagu so they come here and they get the information they need."
And finally, tonight, the National Sports Council of Belize held a Send-Off Ceremony for the athletes who will represent Belize at the 2026 CODICADER Disability Games in Guatemala. The games are scheduled for October 25-31.
"Sports for me and I'm sure I'm speaking on behalf of the minister provides discipline, it provides opportunity for you to travel, it provides opportunities for you to meet other people, it provides for you to express yourself, burn energy, learn a lot of things like he and I did when we were playing sports growing up. All I want to say today and I won't be long is for you to represent yourselves at the highest level. Represent your families, represent your country, represent your schools, represents all of us, you are a reflection of all of us, we appreciate you, we respect you, we care for you and we want to wish you all the best in the upcoming events."
