Belize: Couple found dead in Santa Elena; Woman’s death ruled homicide

Belize: The Assistant Superintendent of Police, Belize has formally announced the autopsy report revealing the circumstances and details concerning the deaths of a couple residing in San Ignacio, Belize.

“That is a part of the investigation relating to the deaths of Michael Williams and Delisha Estrada,” she said.

The victims were identified as Michael Williams and Delisha Estrada, whose bodies were discovered inside their home earlier this month.

Their bodies were discovered on September 14, 2026. The bodies were found in an advanced state of decomposition inside their home in the Hillview area of Santa Elena.

According to the information gathered, the autopsy report revealed that Estrada died from blunt force trauma, which she sustained to her head, which may have been inflicted by another person.

Smith noted that further investigations and reports revealed that Estrada’s death has also been ruled as a homicide.

Meanwhile, the post-mortem report of Williams revealed that he died from pulmonary edema and fluid being in his lungs.

“At the conclusion of the post-mortem examination for Mr. Williams, the doctor concluded that the cause of death was severe pulmonary edema and they are now awaiting the results from a toxicology report,” Smith revealed.

The officials are still awaiting a toxicology report regarding his death to confirm the exact reason for his death.

“We are waiting to see what is the result of the toxicology report whereas Miss Estrada's conclusion in relation to her examination was blunt force trauma,” she said.

The incident had earlier triggered serious concerns among the people of Belize as a user commented, “A death ruled as pulmonary edema means the person died because fluid built up in their air sacs, causing them to suffocate or experience fatal oxygen deprivation. This fluid buildup is generally split into two main categories: heart-related and non-heart-related.”

“Is this being treated as a murder suicide? What I can say is that the investigation is ongoing,” Smith said, noting that further investigations into the incident are underway.