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She had been raped and murdered - and unthinkable and excessively cruel end, especially in a small, peaceful village. Her post mortem was held today, and her son told the media what the family knows so far about the murder:..

Ronaldo Coc, son of deceased
"At Saturday at 2 o' clock my mom says that she will be going to my uncle's place to deliver some container and then she was bought 10 pounds of rice coming back home. Coming back home she met a lady and they had a conversation there for a little while and then she left. After leaving there it's about 200 yards down a little hill and there she was murdered. So from 2 o' clock to 4:30 - that's when my dad got worried about where she was because she has never gone that long. When I came back and visit them it was almost 5pm and my dad had already left to look for her and so I went and look for her too. And as 5:30 reach we realize that something was wrong because she did go far. The family got together quick as possible because she has never stayed out that long, so we started to look round and around until 7:30 when they found the body that I never expected what had happen to my mother."

We also asked Ronaldo Coc about the group of concerned villagers who armed themselves with sticks and machetes after the body was found. They form a search party and went into the bush to look for the perpetrator. They didn't find him, but they believe they knew who his relatives are, and so they detained an entire family - which police said they could not do. We asked Coc about that:..

Ronaldo Coc, son of deceased
"The village leaders and the Area Representative Mr. Oscar Requena got all the people together and demand justice and they had to do something and I didn't know when they had plan it and the next day when I went at the village I met them there and they were aggressive about what had happen and since then they are assisting the police in capturing the suspect."

Reporter
"Can you tell us about that moment when villagers and family members took "into custody" the male member of the suspect's family?"

Ronaldo Coc, son of deceased
"Yes that happened yesterday when they were trying capture him. He got away and finally when the villagers notice that he has change his clothes. Then about an hour after that they found where he was and the villagers raid the area and they found another clothing. They found out that somebody is supporting him. That's when the villagers went to capture the family yesterday."

Daniel Ortiz
"Sir, aren't you afraid or does it concern you that the villagers might be acting illegally detaining these persons because your community is not the law. That's the job of the police."

Ronaldo Coc, son of deceased
"We understand that but then the police are there to assist. But how can you capture a man riding on the road and that man is in the bushes - you will never capture that man."

The murder has elicited position statements from a Toledo Women's Group and now Helpage Belize and the National Council on Ageing. The statement says that, quote, "Recently, there have been a number of physical assaults…on several our elderly Belizean citizens…resulting in the gruesome death of two elderly women and the infliction of near-death injuries to an elderly man." End quote. The release refers to Agripina Coc and Josephine Augustine in Hopkins, while her husband Dudley Augustine was beaten.

Helpage Belize says elderly citizens have a right to be protected from all forms of violence and abuse.