Belize Tragedy: 3-year-old Asher Mejia found dead in water hours after disappearance 

Belize: A three-year-old boy, reported missing just hours earlier, was found drowned to death near the seafront on Front Street in Belize on Sunday. According to reports, the victim has been identified as Asher Mejia and he was pronounced dead on arrival at the Punta Gorda Hospital just after afternoon yesterday.

The victim’s family members recounted that around 11 am the mother of the child, Martina Mejia, sent one of her older sons to purchase something while the three-year-old wandered outside during this time. The family initially did not suspect that the child has left the yard however when the older sibling came back and Asher was nowhere to be found, they began a frantic search for him.

This was the second time in less than a week that the toddler had wandered off as just three days ago, he had gone missing, prompting a police report but he had came back home safely on his own before the police officers arrived. This time too, the family was hoping was a similar outcome and they searched the immediate area themselves before going to the police station for assistance.

The search for the child ended near the wharf across from St Peter Claver School after a truck driver from Big Falls Village reportedly told investigators that he had just arrived at the wharf when three young men approached him and asked him if he had seen a small child and moments later one of the young men who was identified as one of the victim’s older bothers found the toddler unresponsive in the water.

The child’s brother Olivia called the police immediately and rushed to help by performing CPR but his efforts remained unsuccessful. The officials immediately transported the child to the Punta Gorda Hospital in Belize. Police noted that the despite the efforts of bystanders as well as first responders, the child was pronounced dead at 12:19 pm. As of now, authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the sudden disappearance of the child.