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Caye Caulkr is known as a peaceful island community. With less than two thousand residents, La Isla Carinosa, as it is called, is everything that the much larger and more commercialized San Pedro isn’t – it is quiet, laid-back, and most of all safe. It is the type of village where residents didn’t lock their doors because they don’t need to. But all that changed yesterday evening when a well known and much-loved villager was brutally killed inside her home during a home invasion robbery. 51 year old Lurlene Young died a terrible and inexplicable death and when we visited Caye Caulker this morning – villagers were still in shock. Keith Swift has the story.

Keith Swift Reporting,
The murder scene was this house in the new town area of Caye Caulker. It is inside one of the bathrooms that Lurlene Young’s husband found her yesterday evening. Still reeling from the shock, this morning Charles Young Sr. spoke to us off camera.

Charles Young Sr., Husband of Murder Victim
“I came home at quarter to six and I hollered for my wife and when I didn’t see her I went into the bathroom and I found her dead. When I picked she up she still had pulse but I noticed her throat was slit. Somebody did something very terrible to my wife.”

Charles Young Sr. ran into the yard and screamed for help. But by the time help neighbours ran to his assistance – his wife was already dead.

Charles Young Jr., Son of murder victim
“Yesterday evening I was coming from the city and I got a call from my cousin saying they just killed my ma. Upon coming out here and coming to the house, I found my ma lying down in the bathroom a slit to her throat and apparently its robbery.”

This is the road Lurlene walked when she left her office at the Caye Caulker airstrip shortly after 5. It took her ten minutes to reach home and police believe someone followed her. The suspicion is that when she entered her home – she didn’t lock her door – which few people in Caye Caulker do - and that is how her attacker entered. There was evidence inside the home that Lurlene Young fought with her attacker.

Charles Young Sr.,
“I think dah robbery and they didn’t find nothing on her, they didn’t find nothing and when she saw the person she tried to fight back because she is a fighter. She wouldn’t just leave them to do her things, she was a fighter.”

Keith Swift,
“Why do you think it is a robbery?”

Charles Young Jr.,
“Well they found her purse and a separate purse was missing that was in the larger purse so that is why I say so.”

Keith Swift,
“Do you know what happened to her?”

Insp. Sinquest Martinez, Major Crimes
“Right now we are assisting Caye Caulker Police into this murder.”

Keith Swift,
“Do you know if it was a robbery?”

Insp. Sinquest Martinez,
“Well that is what we are trying to establish at this present moment.”

Keith Swift,
“Do you have any suspects?”

Insp. Sinquest Martinez,
“At this present moment we are in-road into some leads we are dealing with at this present moment.”

Today a black ribbon hung on the door of the Tropic Air office where Lurlene worked as the manager for more than ten years. By all accounts she was hardworking – holding down two jobs – one at tropic air and the other in the evenings at this burger shop. She was beloved and a treasure in this small community. And that is why it wasn’t only Tropic Air employees in mourning – today it was an entire island.

Ralph Humes, Village Chairman
“For us on the island, it is a great shock and of course a huge loss.”

Jamie Rosado, Cousin of Murder Victim
“It is unfortunate, it is sad, it is heartbreaking – you can’t even use words to describe it. Ms. Young has been a hard working struggler. She has her three kids, she works, she is not someone known to be in any trouble, she is a sweet loving lady. We grew around her, this is where we grew up, this is the area that we played as kids and to know that it touched someone this close to us it is very very heartbreaking. This is a community, this lady was someone we all looked up to, we all admired. She is a hardworking woman. Why Miss Young?”

Arlulafo Estrada, Caye Caulker Resident
“One hour and a half before I was talking to the lady at the airport and then after that when I came to the water taxi I heard the news that something like that happened, I was very sad.”

Barbara Miller, Friend of Deceased
“It is something I just cannot understand, Lurlene was such a humble, quiet, really really nice person. It is something I just cannot understand.”

The murder of Lurlene Young has shocked her family and friends and it has frightened this island. There hasn’t been a murder in Caye Caulker in more than 10 years and residents say Caye Caulker has never seen a murder this brutal. For some residents, Caye Caulker has lost its innocence and it will never be the same again.

Keith Swift,
“Can you remember the last murder?”

Ralph Humes,
“I really cannot tell what year but it was quite a while ago. There was like what you call a fight brawl, two young men were killed. Probably about 12 to 13 years ago.”

Mari Collins, Caye Caulker Resident
“I am very sad and upset over what happened, very scared as well. In a little community like this, in a village – things like this never happened before. But I think that since there are so many people coming and going now with the water taxi, somebody can just come from the city, do whatever they want to do and go back. I have no doubt that this has nothing to do with people from this island, local people.”

Keith Swift,
“Will this change your routine?”

Mari Collins,
“More cautious, not taking things for granted, security for granted, always watching out for what happens around your neighbourhood.”

Harrison Cadle, Caye Caulker Resident
“I want us to catch him because that is not something for the island and the news is already on the internet and it is bad for tourism as well. So I hope we could catch the guy that did it and I hope that if anyone see it please give the police the information that we need so we could catch him.”

Gerald Badillo Jr., Brother of Deceased
“It is getting so bad that it is almost like you can’t trust anybody, you can’t leave anything that you use to leave out, you have to make sure that you keep your houses always attended to or locked up. It is not like the village life we use to have before but hey, I am not knocking it down and saying that it is a bad bad place. It is still not a bad place to live.”

Ralph Humes,
“I still believe that Caye Caulker is a wonderful place to live. It is true crime is a bad thing for every community but I would still encourage people not to be so drastic measures, that you wouldn’t want to come to Caye Caulker. Like I said I am hoping the Police Department would put a closure to this.”

Police say two suspects have been detained. They were picked up in the area shortly after the attack. And as we reported, Lurlene Young fought her attacker. We have since learnt that she attacked him with a pint bottle. It wasn’t mentioned in the story but Lurlene Young’s brutal death came at the worse possible time. Her husband Charles Young Sr. who found her barely alive is battling cancer.