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Today in Belize City, Tyson Rodriguez's cousin who raised him and lived with him up to the time of his death spoke to the media outside the KHMH morgue. The post mortem had just been concluded and for Kieshan Rodriguez and her attorney it is clear that Tyson was severely beaten and suffocated in the sand on the Placencia beach. Here's what she told the media - along with her attorney Audrey Matura Shepherd:..

Keisha Rodriguez, cousin of deceased
"A police officer from Dangriga came to my door at about 4:49am on Saturday and he told me that Tyson had died. I ask him how did he died and he said that he was detained in Corozal with a vehicle and that he had escape from the police and he jumped into a river and he drowned and a fisherman found him. That was what the police told me."

"Since then no other report from police had been given to me until we found out our self now that its wasn't from drowning. The death certificate is not saying drowning."

Jules Vasquez
"What is the certificate saying ma'am?"

Kieshan Rodriguez, cousin of deceased
"It's saying asphyxia due to.... - he had multiple chest wounds fractures and stuff. It's not drowning."

Jules Vasquez
"Ma'am, you believe your cousin was killed?"

Kieshan Rodriguez, cousin of deceased
"Yes we do believe he was killed."

Jules Vasquez
"And who you believe killed him?"

Keisha Rodriguez, cousin of deceased
"We believe it was the police since they had him in their custody. That's my final saying."

Jules Vasquez
"ma'am, this is the second time your cousin has had a encounter like this with law enforcement. Do you believe that he was in a sense "mark for death" because they say that he is a bad man?"

Kieshan Rodriguez, cousin of deceased
"Yes they did. He said that they told him many times that they would kill him. I guess this is their final outcome that he is dead now - its good for them because they said it that they would killed him."

Reporter
"What will the family do now?"

Kieshan Rodriguez, cousin of deceased
"We are planning to pursue legal action with the police in the court, so we will take it from there."

As we mentioned at the top of the news, the post-mortem conducted by Dr. Mario Estradabran determined the cause of death as, quote "asphyxiation by broncheal aspiration sand - beach type and multiple traumatism to chest - trauma type.' End quote. That according to Audrey Matura-Shepherd, attorney for the Rodriguez family explains exactly how the police are involved in Rodriguez's death. She said, quote "

"Tyson's injuries are not consistent with someone escaping from a moving vehicle, nor him trying to swim to escape. Rather a persons or persons held his head down in the sand until he could not breathe and thus sand was found in his trachea and bronchial passage and now those same police officers must answer for this." End Quote.