So, what befell Edilberto Madrid? He was found decapitated, dismembered and disemboweled in the Roaring Creek River near the Young Bank Road, also in Camalote Village. A post mortem showed that he had a large vertical cut from the chest to the abdomen and all limbs and his head were missing.

It's a level of barbarity Belize has not seen before. And while that level of human cruelty confounds even outsiders – it has destroyed his family.

Today Courtney Weatherburne went west to talk to them:

Courtney Weatherburne Reporting…

Looking out unto this emerald green river in Roaring Creek, evokes a sense of serenity - with it perfect stillness. That tranquility was shattered/interrupted on Tuesday morning when 28 year old Edilberto Madrid's headless body was found floating near these broken tree limbs. It was a ghastly sight – too graphic to reveal.

Madrid's common law wife of 5 years, Julie Fernandez says they had just come back from a weekend trip to Guatemala and were preparing for her sister's wedding when Madrid went missing on Sunday morning. He told her that morning that he was going to visit his sister and that he would be back soon.

Julie Fernandez - Common- Law Wife

"We were together at the location where you met me just now. He went over to his sister, which is not far away. I texted, he didn't answer because I had stuff to go do at home. I text and told him as soon as he is ready I will come back for him so he could call or texted me back. He did not answer the entire day. I call, I texted all day Sunday. Sunday night I waited thinking he would come home - he did not come home."

And when he didn't come home Sunday night, Fernandez made a missing persons report early Monday morning. That's when she and a group of family members and friends formed a search party to look for him

Julie Fernandez

"We were in the Camalote area behind the burial ground searching because we got information that there was a body somewhere back there. So we went and searched that area. For about 3 hours we were in that area - nothing, so we decided to come back over to this side because this side is the area which we first started the search."

That search ended with the gruesome discovery of his body on Tuesday morning in the Roaring Creek River. His older sister was there to identify him.

Maria Banner - Sister

"I was strong at the moment, I tried to be strong for my family like I said. I managed to do it but the memories of how he was left flashing back to me. All I can say is who ever did it, we leave them unto the Lord." (Emotional crying…)

Police have two suspects detained for this murder.