The accident happened last Thursday when Wade attempted to fix a malfunctioning butane gas system at the plant, which suddenly burst into flames. Despite intensive medical treatment, his injuries were too severe for him to survive. Wade had recently become engaged on February 19.

Being a long-time supporter of the United Democratic Party (UDP), the party issued a statement mourning his passing, calling him “a dedicated servant of the people” and “a steady, principled voice in local governance.”

On social media, tributes poured in. One user wrote, “Such a humble soul. Gone too soon, Elroy. May the family find comfort in the memory they all shared with him.” Another added, “This is so sad… a man always smiling and willing to help others.” Others expressed concern about the frequency of gas-related incidents in Belize, urging greater safety awareness.

The post Former Hope Creek Chairman Dies After Workplace Explosion first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

Coleman was rushed to the Independence Polyclinic and later transferred to the Southern Regional Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Police have detained the driver of the SUV, 65-year-old Jes Christian Bech of Monkey River Road, as investigations continue.

Coleman’s younger sister, Angelina, described the heartbreak of losing her brother. “Yesterday I was at work when I got the call from my sister. She told me that he went to Big Creek to drop off one of my relatives to work. And while on his way back…This hurt me, I never get a hurt so bad yet in my life, until now,” she said. 

She said her brother had been working on his little brother’s house, with plans to finish it so her sibling could move into his own home.”All his plan was just cut short,” she said. “He has a daughter that he loves so much…He couldn’t even say anything after he got hit. He was knocked unconscious.”

The family also expressed frustration over the lack of communication from authorities. “Up to now, no police reach our house. Nobody came. Nobody said anything to the family… This hurt me, I never get a hurt so bad yet in my life, until now.”

Relatives remembered Coleman as someone who always brought joy to others. “My brother, he was not a problem maker. He is the sweetest. He always make everybody smile. He always happy. Whatever he does, he does it with a happy mindset because he wants everybody around him to be happy,” Angelina said.

The post Family Mourns 38-Year-Old Killed in Big Creek Road Accident first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

Jessy “Cat” Palacios was found on the side of the dirt road with visible injuries. A black scooter was nearby, along with a parked trailer. Emergency personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.

Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident.

Community members expressed condolences online, remembering Palacios as ambitious and hard-working. One resident wrote, “You were on the right path… Another Pomona soldier gone. Condolences to the family.”

The post Pomona Village Barber Dies in Motorcycle Accident first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

According to police, the incident happened around 8:00 p.m. while several people were gathered at the home of 24-year-old Luis Barillas. Investigators say a lone gunman, described as slim-built and wearing a grey hoodie, went to the residence and opened fire.

Barillas and 43-year-old Derrick Arnold were both shot multiple times. They were transported to the Punta Gorda Hospital, where they were pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

Initial police information suggests the suspect may have gone to the residence to purchase drugs before the situation escalated.

Police investigations continue.

The post Double Murder Under Investigation in Punta Gorda first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

U.S. authorities say Flowers’ 7‑year‑old son dialled 911 after discovering his mother in distress. By the time officers arrived, both Pollard and Flowers had died. Investigators have launched a double homicide probe, but no arrests have been made.

Friends and relatives of Flowers say the young mother had been living in fear in the weeks leading up to her death. Her godmother, Shatiera Davis, told U.S. media that Flowers reported a domestic violence incident involving her ex-boyfriend on January 21, claiming she suffered bruises and injuries that required medical care.

“She basically told me her ex-boyfriend had tried to kill her,” Davis told Fox 5 local news.

Loved ones also said Flowers reported suspicious activity around her home, including calls from unknown numbers and incidents of someone allegedly looking through her windows. Police have not confirmed whether those reports are connected to the killings.

Family members said Pollard had been staying with Flowers in the days leading up to their deaths. While early U.S. reports indicated that an ex-partner may have entered the home and opened fire, killing both occupants before fleeing.

Pollard’s brother, Allan Pollard, previously told News Five that his sibling had pursued his music career relentlessly, working with major artists and building a promising future before his life was tragically cut short.

Police say it remains unclear whether the case is being formally investigated as a domestic violence-related homicide, and the investigation is ongoing.

The post New Details Emerge in Las Vegas Killing of Belizean Artist first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

Ferguson was the first of two friends killed within minutes of each other in the same Ladyville neighbourhood.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith confirmed the arrest, saying, “As a consequence of the ongoing investigation into the shooting death of Shakeem Ferguson… police have formally arrested and charged 24-year-old Kenroy Allen, a police constable, for the crime of murder.”

Smith said Allen’s arrest followed investigative work and the recovery of evidence. While no clear motive has been established, police believe “that drugs may be the motive.”

Asked whether others could face charges, Smith noted the investigation is still active. “As developments of interest are made, that will be shared with the media,” she said.

Authorities are also exploring possible links between Ferguson’s killing and other recent murders, including those of Elroy Bainton and Darwin Valerio. “These incidents… are being investigated to ascertain whether there’s an excess between these incidents,” Smith said.

The post Police Constable Charged for Murder of Shakeem Ferguson first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

A Belize City mother is searching for answers tonight after the heartbreaking loss of her two‑month‑old baby boy inside the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. Alicia Kuylen says she rushed little Damani to the hospital after a clinic referral, she’d noticed he suddenly stopped feeding, and she knew something wasn’t right. Now, after his unexpected passing, she’s demanding to know what happened in those critical moments of his care.

                      Voice of: Alicia Kuylen

Voice of: Alicia Kuylen, Mother of Baby Damani

“They were trying to withdraw blood from him and they couldn’t get blood, so they could not get the blood. So, they pricked all over his body, his hands, foot, everywhere. The baby was just crying, laying there and I asked the lady if they could please give him something to drink because he did not want to take the bottle. She said, what are you giving the baby to drink, right now I will make a bottle because this baby does not look like you are taking good care of him.”

Kuylen isn’t new to motherhood, she has two other children. But baby Damani, born prematurely at just thirty‑six weeks, faced added health challenges from the very start.

Voice of: Alicia Kuylen

“We came out the next day. I feel like baby belongs to  stay in hospital for observation, because they know as medical professionals that a baby liver is not fully developed as yet. I am not a medical professional. Just like how unu look at the baby and say he is alright, that is the same thing I did. I looked at my baby and said he is alright until his eyes started getting yellow. So I feel like they failed me from birth because my baby was born premature.”

Damani passed away while receiving care at the KHMH, shortly after his mother became worried about changes in his feeding. He underwent a blood transfusion. Kuylen alleges that the hospital used blood that was twenty-nine-days-old because it matched his blood type and was readily available at the time.

Voice of: Alicia Kuylen

“Then you see ih chest start move fast then I see my baby just stop move right then and there, then I get my phone because I don’t know what to do because the lady was in there and I saw her pressing her chest. But I done sih ih dead. I literally see my baby stop moving there and then the lady the press ih chest but I done sih ih dead. I literally see my baby stop breath deh. This happen five fifty-one a.m. This lady the press my baby chest. I get my phone and I the cry. I try call my sister but my sister never answer cause it is early. And I call my friend and I told him my baby just dead. He told me to keep the faith. I told him, how can I keep the faith if I done see he took his last breath.”

It’s the raw, trembling voice of a mother mourning her baby, a pain still fresh, barely a few weeks old. But, when a hospital says it is “deeply empathetic,” what does that mean for grieving parents still searching for answers? The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority has issued a statement following growing public concern and News Five’s reports about the deaths of several infants under its care. In carefully chosen words, the hospital expressed condolences, emphasized compassion, and pointed to complex medical conditions, prematurity, congenital defects, malnutrition, as contributing factors in what it described as “high-risk” cases.

But for many families and members of the public, sympathy alone is not enough. How many infant deaths prompted this response? Over what period of time did they occur? Were there warning signs that systems were failing the hospital’s most vulnerable patients, and if so, were they acted upon? While KHMH insists that clinical protocols remain in place and that neonatal and pediatric services are continuing, the statement offers few concrete details about what went wrong, what is being reviewed, or what will change moving forward.

The hospital says it is working closely with the Ministry of Health and Wellness and is bound by confidentiality and mandatory reporting laws. Those obligations are real, but so, too, is the public’s demand for accountability when newborn lives are lost inside a national referral hospital. Transparency, KHMH says, is a priority. The question now is what transparency will look like in practice, and whether it will bring clarity, reform, or reassurance to a shaken nation. As parents mourn and trust in the health system wavers, the spotlight remains firmly on KHMH: Were these tragedies unavoidable medical realities, or do they point to deeper, systemic issues in neonatal and pediatric care that can no longer be ignored?

Voice of: Alicia Kuylen

“For them to say all these bad things about me. That make me feel bad. That makes me question myself  I just want this all be over, like honestly.”

As investigations continue and families seek accountability, the nation watches closely for the transparency and reform that grieving parents say are long overdue. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

The post Mother Seeks Accountability After Infant Dies at KHMH first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

In a statement, KHMHA said it “empathises deeply with the parents and families who have experienced the loss of their child,” describing the death of an infant as an “immeasurable and painful loss.” KHMH says it has made contact with each affected parent and is offering “support, compassion, and continued engagement.”

According to the hospital, the infants who died were being treated for complex medical conditions, including “prematurity, congenital birth defects, and malnourishment,” which place newborns at “extremely high risk.” KHMHA assured the public that established clinical protocols remain in place and that it is working closely with the Ministry of Health and Wellness to ensure safe and effective neonatal and paediatric care.

Still, for one young mother, those explanations do little to ease her grief.

She told News Five that she first brought her baby to the hospital after noticing his eyes turning yellow. Born prematurely at 36 weeks, the infant was discharged the day after birth, a decision she felt was too soon. When she later returned with a referral, she says she waited for hours without assistance.

The mother recounted that her baby was placed under heat instead of phototherapy, and staff struggled repeatedly to draw blood. She described feeling judged and blamed, recalling one staff member telling her, “This baby nuh look like you dih take good care of him.”

Her son was placed on drips, and doctors told her he would need a blood transfusion. But the only blood available for her baby was 29 days old. The concerned mother questioned whether it would be safe, yet said she ultimately relied on medical staff to guide her decisions. “They’re the professionals, so I had to go with what they say,” she explained.

But in the early morning hours, she noticed changes in his breathing and vomiting. When the vomiting worsened, nurses began CPR. She knew her son had passed in that moment.

She added that she was left waiting outside the room for nearly half an hour before being told her baby had died of septic shock. “She didn’t even tell me ‘my condolences’ or give a hug,” the mother said, describing the lack of sympathy she felt.

KHMHA, in its statement, says it is bound by “legal and ethical obligations”, including patient confidentiality and mandatory reporting requirements, and that all matters will be addressed “with sensitivity and professionalism”. The hospital also says it remains committed to transparency through the appropriate clinical and administrative processes.

In the aftermath, the mother says police and human services became involved, leaving her feeling accused rather than supported. She recalled being asked at the police station if her baby had died as a result of neglect.

The post KHMH Responds to Concerns Over Infant Deaths first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

                       Voice of : Alicia Kuylen

Voice of : Alicia Kuylen, Mother of Baby Damani

“They said they wa need to do a blood transfusion. So I tell her – they mi done tell me that blood transfusion noh safe for kids. So I asked the lady, I said, miss, when she come back, she said that how the only blood type, the only blood weh ih have for my baby blood type is a blood that is twenty-nine days old. And she said that, so she said, I asked her, I said, miss, would that be safe because I don’t know about those stuff. She said, I already consulted with two other doctors and they said to let me give him an injection so he doesn’t have any major reaction to the blood transfusion. I said, okay, then well they da professionals soh I di goh with what they say. I did not sleep that whole night. I was up, my baby was holding my hand. I was looking at him. I was talking to him, telling him that Mommy’s here, I love you. And then like my baby mi di move the whole while. Like as they give ah them – cause they give a seven injections with the before the blood transfusion. They say five sedative and I don’t remember the other two injections. So when they give ah that and then the blood transfusion, I see my baby like he stopped moving. He noh di say nothing again like he mi di talk to me before. Cause baby, you might say and how the baby the talk ’cause ih only two months, but baby make sounds like yeah. So we the do that ’cause I mi di video it and everything and then I just see my baby just de deh the watch me like he noh the move or nothing.  Then I see ih hand the glitch like, so I say maybe da because he cold. So I put ih hand under the, wa warmer weh they have. I put ih hand under that. Then you see ih chest start move fast. Then I see my baby just stop move right then and there. Then I get my phone because I neva know weh fi do. Because the lady deh in de and I see she the try press ih chest. But I done see ih dead. I literally see my baby stop breathe deh.”

News Five has reached out to officials at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital and the Ministry of Health for comment, but up to news time, no response has been received. This is now the third infant death we’ve reported on this week, all from the same time period. Minister of Health and Wellness Kevin Bernard says he is looking into the matter. We’ll have more from Alicia Kuylen tomorrow, and we continue to seek answers from the authorities.

The post Grieving Mother Demands Answers After Baby Dies at KHMH first appeared on Greater Belize Media.

The post Grieving Family Calls for Urgent Reform After Newborn’s Death at KHMH first appeared on Greater Belize Media.