Mystery at Sea: Elderly American man found dead on drifting catamaran near Belize 

Belize: In a shocking development, an elderly American man has been found dead aboard a drifting catamaran discovered off the coast of Belize on the morning of Wednesday. According to the information, the discovery was made after the Belize Rescue Team received an alert around 8 30 am on March 11, 2026.

The alert was reportedly from a passing cruise ship, and it told them about the catamaran drifting at sea around 60 miles offshore from the Belize City and roughly 8 miles off the Caye Caulker North Channel.

According to reports, the cruise ship personnel made a brief stop to make a check on the vessel after they spotted an elderly American woman alone aboard it. The woman told them that her husband reportedly suffered a heart attack and died the earlier morning while they were at sea.

Soon after the call was made to the rescue team, the officials responded quickly and later found the vessel drifting toward the Belizean coastline. When the officials boarded the vessel, they found the body of an elderly Caucasian male who appeared to be deed. However, the rescue team also found blood inside the vessel which further raised questions regarding the circumstances which might have led to the victim’s death.

The Belize Coast Guard was contacted immediately and dispatched at the scene. The vessel is now expected to be towed to Caye Caulker where investigators will be conducting a full examination of the catamaran and the circumstances surrounding the man’s death.

At this time, the identities of the deceased man and the female survivor have not yet been officially confirmed.

Authorities said that they are trying to piece together a troubling mystery at sea. The vessel, last seen leaving Livingston about a week ago, first drew attention when the crew of the MSC Divina radioed in a distress call.

The Coast Guard towed the vessel to Caye Caulker, where police and Scenes of Crime officers have now launched a full investigation. CEO of the Ministry of National Defense and Border Security, Francis Usher, breaks down what authorities know so far, and what they’re still trying to determine.

“I don’t want to speak on behalf of the police department, but they proceeded with their initial investigations. I understand that due to some apparent wounds on the body and the state of decomposition the body was then transported to Belize City for further investigation,” he said.

He further added that the coast guard and the police department are in active communication with the son of the deceased who is in country and is making the necessary arrangements to transport the body back home.