7 News Belize

Back to search results

Child Predator Caught In Cayo With Jasmine's Ring
posted (June 19, 2012)
Last night we reported that Cayo police had arrested a man who was soliciting girls from that western town to take a ride in his vehicle.

Well today that news spread like wildfire through a community - already angered and impassioned about the murder of 13 year old Jasmine Lowe.

So things were at a fever pitch today - as the girl he was caught with, and another he tried to solicit were brought into the police station for an ID parade.

Monica Bodden was in Cayo most of the day to witness the goings-on - and she has this report:..

Monica Bodden reporting
Today this silver Kia car is parked inside the San Ignacio police station's compound. While the owner of that vehicle is detained by police for questioning - particularly in relation to 13 year old Jasmine Lowe's murder.

The alleged child predator was caught by police around 6 yesterday evening in the Branch Mouth Area between Benque and San Ignacio Town.

Reports are that a minor was inside his vehicle at the time it was intercepted. But who gave police the tip off about this suspect?

Well earlier that day there were two different incidents that occurred, which involved two minors. According to both girls, the suspected predator tried to lure them inside his vehicle by offering them money to take him to particular places in town. After the young girls refused, they then went on to report the strange encounter to the police. We spoke to one of the parents and the child whose face we cannot show:..

Mother
"When she reached home like 10:30 Thursday morning, she was kind of nervous. She told me 'mom, I think they were going to kidnapped me' I ask her what happen. She told me that when she was going to get a transport to go to college this vehicle came up by her side and the gentleman bring down the glass of his vehicle and started to ask her personal questions about where she was going, if she was a high school student and if she was in 4th form or 6th form. She says that she told him that she was going to college and then he told her that he was look for a store on the Bullet Tree Road but he doesn't know where it is and if she could be kind enough to go with him in the vehicle to show him where the store is, but she told him no, she cannot go because she have to go to college. She says the man told her that it won't take long, it will only take like 10-15 minutes and he can give her $30. She says no I cannot because I have to go to college and I have to go to my grandmother house. He was still insisting to her to get in the vehicle to show him this place but she keeps repeating no."

"He went and she thought that the man went for good, but when she was going up like a block more before college she says that the vehicle came beside her again but this time he changed the story; he told her that he just received a text from his friends and his friends are at "Gredis" and that if she could take him there because he doesn't know where "Gredis" is and she told him no I cannot, I have to go to college, he says that it won't take long, it will just take like 15-20 minutes and I can bring you back to college after that if you are in a hurry. She told him no, he say that he really need your help because I don't know where "Gredis" is."

Voice of Student
"What seemed fishy is that he was offering money and the other thing is that he didn't want help from young boy that was there. The next thing is that the second time he talk to me, he open the passenger side door, so in a way he was like inviting me to sit down to make me feel comfortable with him. That was a sign that was suspicious."

Mother
"When she told me I was thinking about the situation and I told her lets go to the police station and go give a report of that. Even though we didn't have any license plates number, she said that she could describe the vehicle and description of the person. That's what we did; we went to the police station and give a report. The officers there Mrs. Flowers and Mrs. Reynolds were very helpful. That same moment they ask us if we could go in the vehicle with them and try to see the vehicle. We were in San Ignacio and Santa Elena but we couldn't locate the vehicle at that moment, like it just disappeared."

Monica Bodden
"Now you understand that the vehicle is there at the police station. Did you guys go there to identify it?"

Mother
"Yes, they call us and we were there last night and yes it's the same vehicle and according to her it's the same person because she saw some pictures of him on the internet."

But while at the station reports are that police made several findings inside the silver Kia - including several different license plates, some hair and a gold ring. Jasmine Lowe's mother was called in by police last night to see if she could have identified the ring that was found inside the vehicle driven by the suspected predator. According to her, it was a perfect match. The same ring she gave her daughter for her 13th birthday in April.

Monica Bodden
"When the police call you what did they say?"

Marisol Lowe - Jasmine Lowe's mother
"That they found Jasmine's ring."

Monica Bodden
"So they needed you to go and identify it. When you went down to the station what happened then?"

Marisol Lowe - Jasmine Lowe's mother
"When I went there the police showed me the paper and I was shock."

Monica Bodden
"Then they showed you the ring?"

Marisol Lowe - Jasmine Lowe's mother
(Nodded)

Monica Bodden
"You positively identified it as your daughter's?"

Marisol Lowe - Jasmine Lowe's mother
"Yes."

Monica Bodden
"Can you describe the ring to us?"

Marisol Lowe - Jasmine Lowe's mother
"It has six diamonds but there was one that was not diamond, only 5."

Monica Bodden
"So there were six diamond stones on it. That was your ring?"

Marisol Lowe - Jasmine Lowe's mother
"That was my ring for 9 years; I just gave it to her for her birthday."

And while the suspected child predator and his girlfriend (who is a teacher) is under heavy police guard - crowds of Cayo residence gathered today outside the police station - outraged at the man who may just be responsible for little Jasmine's Lowe's murder.

Ernie Brown - Cayo Resident
"The purpose of being out here is that the community has enough, there have been too much violence, too much corruption and we are here to let the public know that enough is enough. We know there is somebody in the police station that we don't want to see in the public streets anywhere anytime soon."

Hilberto Palmer - Cayo Resident
"Residence are coming out in support, we want to see justice."

Monica Bodden
"Standing out here, what do you guys hope to accomplish or which message you guys hope to send across?"

Hilberto Palmer - Cayo Resident
"The message is for all the community to come together and lets fight crime together; let's work along with the police, let's help the police in what we can so that these things can be solved. If we know something let's say it, let's come forward and talk what we know."

The events of the day culminated in a mob gathering outside the police station this evening at four. They were chanting the suspect, Bert Vasquez's name and saying what they would like to do to him.

Multiple protests are expected to be staged tomorrow - when the suspect may be charged. In a related story, the home of Jasmine Lowe's

Back to search results

Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us

7 News Belize