Raulito Balona
The second suspect in the highly publicized murder of Canadian missionary, Brian Townsend has been found….not alive, but dead. On Christmas Eve night, Townsend, a Valley of Peace resident, was abducted from his home in the village. He was brutally murdered and his body dumped in the Mopan River on the border with Guatemala near Arenal. Police were unable to track down the main suspects in the murder, two brothers who resided next to Townsend’s home in the village. But now they don’t have to, since the men, Marlon and Raulito Balona, are dead; killed in separate, but violent circumstances. News Five has been able to confirm that Raulito Balona was shot to death in the village of Arenal. It happened sometime within the last thirty hours, and Benque Viejo Police are still getting information from their counterparts. The body of Raulito’s brother, Marlon, was discovered on January nineteenth off a feeder road in La Gracia Village in the Cayo District. He had been bludgeoned to the neck and chest. According to Officer Commanding the Benque Viejo Police Formation, they cannot overlook the fact that both men wanted for the Townsend murder have turned up dead, but at this point it is too soon to establish a connection.
Via Phone: Dinsdale Thompson, O.C., Benque Viejo Police Formation
Dinsdale Thompson
“We have so far contacted the Guatemalan authorities who confirm that yes, Raulito Balona, one of the suspects in Mr. Townsend’s murder has been killed over in Guatemala, Arenal, Guatemala area. We are still talking along with our counterparts in that area. So far we have contacted family members here in Benque Viejo Area who have confirmed the reports as well too.”
Reporter
“Sir have you been given any indication of how Raulito Balona was killed?”
Via Phone: Dinsdale Thompson
“All that we have here from authorities so far is that Raulito has been shot. That’s the information that we have so far in regards to his killing.”
Brian Townsend
Reporter
“Sir I know I might be asking for a little bit of speculation but it seems connected that both these brothers were suspects in the murder of Brian Townsend and in the matter of a few weeks both of them are dead. Is your thought process going in the same direction?”
Via Phone: Dinsdale Thompson
“Well we are looking along that line that there could be a possibility of something along the line that you are thinking, however on the other side we know that the Balonas do have run-ins at being violators of law…it is very possible that they have been law-breakers in Belize as well as in Guatemala and that’s why they have ended up getting killed. But our eyes are open to both sides as I have indicated.”
It is not known at this time if the family of Raulito Balona will be bringing his body back to Belize. Although he was born in Belize, he also possessed Guatemalan documents. We’ll have more details as we get them.
View the full article