The body of seven year old Chelsie Smith was found today after a three day search was launched. As we reported, Smith drowned in the Belize Old River on Sunday Morning whilst at Isabella Bank Village in Rural Belize.
HIPOLITO NOVELO REPORTING
“Almost two days later following the disappearance underwater of seven year old Chelsie Smith, her body was retrieved from the Belize Old River. As we reported, Chelsie along with her mother, Pamela Olivera, and four other children were fishing alongside the banks of the Belize Old River in Isabella Bank Village on Sunday morning when the tragic incident occurred. Chelsie fell off an underwater trench and subsequently drowned. A search team comprised of the Belize Defense Force, the Belize Coast Guard and family members set out to recover her body. After diving into the murky waters for the past two days, it was not until this morning at about ten minutes after ten o’clock that the body was located by family members. Carol Leslie is Chelsie’s godmother.
CAROL LESLIE
“After the boat was going slow, with six of us in the boat we were looking both ways and the driver of the boat saw something on the edge by the bushes and he turned around and when we got a closer view, we saw that it was Chelsie. Her hand was hooked on one of the tree limbs and underneath the tree; we went closer and identified her as Chelsie.”
HIPOLITO NOVELO
“According to one of the drivers, Joshua Trapp, the body was found a little less than two miles from where Chelsie disappeared under water.”
JOSHUA TRAPP, DIVER
“This morning we started our mission at around seven o’clock and we found the body about ten minutes past ten o’clock this morning. The body was found approximately 1.75 miles from here.”
ENSIGN RAY GOOD, COAST GUARD
“We noticed that the water was very dirty and we needed to use different techniques using the line and doing search patterns because there was zero visibility and so we had to use line and feel our way and search in a pattern so we didn’t miss anything.”
HIPOLITO NOVELO
“As Ensign Ray Good of the Belize Coast Guard explained, it was not an easy task trying to find the body in the murky waters but nonetheless the family now has closure. An autopsy was performed on the child’s body in the area where the child drowned. Her father, Christopher Smith said it is now time to put his daughter to rest.”
CHRISTOPHER SMITH, FATHER
“Finally, we can put this ordeal behind us and try….I really don’t know where I go from here, I am just glad that we found my daughter and my baby to bury her and try to find some peace in that. At first, I felt hurt and asked God why but in the couple days I have come to grips that it is his choice and that is how he set it out.
HIPOLITO NOVELO
“According to the officer in charge of Ladyville, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Christopher Noble, investigations into the matter are still ongoing in order to determine if there was any parental negligence. But while the investigations continue, Noble advised the public to always be careful.”
CHRISTOPHER NOBLE, OFFICER IN CHARGE – LADYVILLE
“At this stage we cannot say it was negligence; we are compiling, we are looking into it and we will have the investigation reveal just that. The advice I would give is to be cognizant of your surroundings, be cautious of the persons in the water and we ask that everybody look out for the child.”
Funeral Services were held at five o’clock today in the Village of Sandhill.