7 News Belize

3 Months Later: Romel Palacio Found Dead
posted (February 1, 2013)
On December 11 of last year, 7News told you about Romel Palacio Jr., the man who went missing earlier that month, and who was believed by his family to have been killed.

His father was killed in June of 2011, and the family believes that they were after Palacio Jr., but they mistook his father for him when they killed the elderly man inside his home.

Well, the decomposed remains of Palacio Jr., who was being targeted for being a witness to a crime, was discovered in a shallow grave between miles 11 and 12 on the George Price highway yesterday evening.

His grieving family spoke to us at our office this morning, and they told us that although it's painful, it's validation of their suspicions, and they can finally get closure. Here's what they told us about giving him a proper burial:

Dawnette Palacio - sister of deceased
"Yesterday evening when I was about to leave work I received a phone call from the police officer informing me that they found a body or the remains of a body up on the George Price Highway at about 12 miles and they ask if one of the family member could come in and identify the body or the remains because they believe it to be the remains of my brother who went missing on the 6th of December."

"We came in this morning and they also found a watch. It's just skeleton remains; his bones and his skull and they found a watch and a sock, a pair of boxer brief underwear and a glove. His close friend was the one who identified the skeleton remains as being his because of a piece of skin that they found. The skin had a tattoo on it and it was a tattoo of a weed leaf. Also by the watch, they identified that the watch belong to him. That was how we confirm this morning that the remains are his."

"My brother's death is link along with my father's death. This whole situation is link to one case in particular and to one set of peoples. They had tried to kill him numerous times until the 6th of December when they finally did what they did and buried his body and they thought that we would have never found the body. He also has a gold crown in front of his teeth; the two front teeth were knocked out, so the only thing that his friend could have identified him by was the tattoo and the watch that was found at the site."

"From we first heard the rumors we believe that he was dead. The family just wanted to find his remains in order for us to give him a proper burial."

Daniel Ortiz
"What's your impression as a mom? I mean this is the worst news to receive that your son has been killed and he has been killed not because he is link to anything, it is just because they wanted to keep justice from being done."

Tyoris Palacio, mother of deceased
"It hurts to find out this way but all we wanted was closure because they call me in the States and give me the information about what was going on and whatever information we picked up we passed it on to the police. My daughter was saying that the police had a press conference saying that he wasn't dead, he was still alive somewhere. I told her then they should have come for a family member to go to the place and confirm that it is him. We were expecting this because it was numerous times they tried to killed him. The family was expecting this. Every day when he calls and said Moms I am okay - that was his routine. That's why from the time he didn't call or whatever we said he was dead when we heard the rumor because we had a routine; everyday he would call me in the morning to reassure me that he is still alive and every night he calls to reassure me that he is still okay. When they called me in the States and said that this is the rumor, I said I think he is dead. There isn't any sense of security because the reason I went to the States was because they were threatening him; they told him that he looked good on the stand but your mother will not get the happy chance when he is to testify for your father, so went to the States. I guess there is no sense of security."

Daniel Ortiz
"Ma'am, I see that this hurts you. What in your mind will come of this because I mean the way he was found, the police don't have much to go on and it seems as though these persons who took your son's life will get away with it."

Tyoris Palacio, mother of deceased
"I leave everything to God because God will give justice."

The men who are accused of killing his father remain on remand at this time as they await trial.

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