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Courtney Menzies has a look back at the murderous month of May, and all those lost:

The month of May saw a spate of violence that has only been seen twice before in the past decade - once in 2012 and again in 2018. 21 killings in 31 days made for a very murderous May, with many families left mourning the loss of their brothers, sons, fathers, sisters and a mother.

The youngest victim, and perhaps one of the saddest deaths, was 3-year-old Aiden Perez. The toddler and his mother's remains were found in the burnt rubble of their St Matthews home - the fire set by the woman's ex.

And baby Aiden was nothing short of a miracle for 36-year-old Kendra Middleton, since her aunt said she had long wanted a child.

Dana Lewis, Aunt of the deceased
"Little Aiden Kendra, really was believing God, you know, she thought she couldn't have a baby and then way in her middle age Aiden came and she was so happy for her little son."

And Aiden wasn't the only minor to be killed in May. At the start of the month, 17-year-old Gerald Tillett Jr, son of a slain gang boss, also met his end. He was shot 7 times - only a month before his 18th birthday.

And that murder led to a spree of gun violence within Belize City, taking the lives of two 50-something year old fathers. Wayne Peteau and Raymond Garcia were playing dominoes inside a yard on Church Street when they became casualties in a gang war they had no part in.

Both men had gone above and beyond in their fatherhood duties.

Natividad "Rita" Garcia - Mother of Raymond Garcia
"He and I raised his son. his first son, the mother of his son - she had abandoned the baby from when he was young. He decided to hold the mantle and take care of the baby."

Voice of: Sonya Jones - Common-law Wife of Wayne Peteau
"Well, he has 5 in all. He has 2 that he raised with me, that's why I know the good in him. He was there when I was in need of him. And I have 3 with him."

The men were killed on the same weekend as Aiden and his mother - but those four weren't the only deaths.

28-year-old Otis Gladden had moved from George Street to Santa Cruz to escape the very same gun violence which ended his life.

Meanwhile, a few villages away in Hope Creek, a harmless handyman was stabbed to death. 49-year-old Pedro Pau was drinking with another man when a social evening turned deadly for him.

And after that weekend of bloodshed, 33-year-old Lemar Young was also gunned down on Armadillo Street.

There were a few days of respite, but the killing continued with three fatal shootings of 43-year-old Kirk Gordon on Zacaranda Street, 29-year-old Marquin Drury Santa Barbara Street, and 19-year-old Stephan Castillo on Faber's Road. The teenager was at work at a mechanic shop when he was targeted for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The body of 58-year-old Lincoln Erskine was also found dead in his Ladyville home, having been stabbed multiple times.

And following those gruesome deaths was the shocking discovery of the bodies of Mark and Leticia Frankel. The couple had been reported missing by family members after their 8-mile home was found ransacked and their car, which was found on a dirt road, bore evidence of someone trying to light it on fire.

They were found dead off the John Smith Road - leaving their family with more questions than answers.

Zaida Rivers, Sister
"I guess this is where the police come in and we will have to depend on the police for this because we have no reason to believe why someone would want to do that to them, and again we don't know why this would happen to them."

And while most of these murders occurred in the Belize District, the Toledo District has also seen an increase in crime. In May, a handicapped, elderly man, 60-year-old Marcus Tracy, was found lying in a pool of blood by his PG home with numerous cut wounds.

And at the end of the month, 47-year-old Joseph Guy was found with his throat slashed near Jacintoville.

Another district that saw an increase in crime was Cayo. The body of a 51-year-old father was discovered on the Santa Familia Road, bearing cut and stab wounds to his throat.

And that same weekend, a young taxi driver, and father of one, was ambushed and shot several times in the shadows of the Intelco Hill in Belmopan. But before he died, he was able to tell his common-law wife vital information to aid in the investigation.

Shanice Flowers, Common-Law Wife
"I got to see him for probably a minute or so and what was when I asked him what happened and he stated he got robbed and he got shot. But by the time I tried to ask him the second question, who did it, he stated that it was two Hispanic guys that did it to him but he started to fade out and that was when they rushed me out of the hospital, stating that he needed to get urgent surgery."

And those two murders weren't the only ones that occurred during the long weekend. Back in Belize City, 58- year-old Ronald Gentle was gunned down in front of his family.

Voice of: Shannon Davis, Wife of the deceased
"We were at the family yard recreating as we always do, and stuff and somebody said who are those two young men there, and I just saw my gentleman get up and walk and by the time he got in front of the gate to see who it was, shots started to fire."

And like other young fathers who will never see their children grow up, 23-year-old Anfernee Anderson was shot execution style in Ladyville. Anderson was at home getting ready to receive an award at work - but never made it. Instead, he was slain mercilessly by people he knew.

Voice of: Crystal Young - Cousin of the Deceased
"They called him out. So, we automatically know that it's someone that knew him because they called him out of the yard, and he came out. And when they fired the first shot, that's when he realized what was happening. He ran down the street toward his mom's home, and then, he fell. And, when he fell the guy came over him and continued emptying out the gunshots on him."

The final gun-related murder for one of the deadliest months on record occurred, again, in the Cayo District. 49-year-old Wayne Cadle, who was a supervisor at BECOL, was targeted by three bandits in Benque Viejo Town. They wanted to steal his car, and fatally shot him to do so.

So 21 murders in May puts the total tally for the first five months of the year at 51 - a slight increase from last year's 48 for the same period. Belize District has seen most of that number with 26, followed by Cayo with 15.

Notably, May of last year only saw 7 murders.