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Courtney Weatherburne reporting
Immigration and Lands Department workers along with Health officials filed into to the Cotton Tree cemetery this afternoon - all to give their final goodbye's to their friend and beloved member of the public service fraternity, Israel Perez.

Perez had been missing for a week but this morning around 7:00 one of his close friends found his decomposed body down this road in Harmonyville.

It was buried in this shallow grave. His friend, who lives close to where Perez's body was found says he saw Perez's vehicle down this road several times last week but he didn't think much of it because he didn't know Perez was missing until he saw it on the news last night. That's when he and his son went on their own early morning search.

Voice of: Friend
"I told my wife that little young boy is dead because it is the same vehicle that comes through here every day since last week , that vehicle was coming through this road."

"He would come and hail me if he was the one that was driving but it wasn't him who was driving."

"I said to myself something, hey son we are going to go this morning and look for a body we are going to see if we can find Mr. Israel."

The stench of Perez's body filled the air and they found him stuffed in the pit. Police and family raced out to the scene - they were all shaken by what they saw.

Voice of: Orlando Perez, brother
"We found him tied up, he was bound by his hands and feet, he had a plastic bag over his head."

They stabbed him, he was found with several stab wounds to his chest.

We believe he was held captive for a lengthy period of time before he was killed.

The family is now left tracing and revisiting the last time they saw Perez to try and figure out how and when he was captured and murdered.

According to Perez's common law wife, she last saw him on Friday the 26th when he left for work at the Immigration Department. But later on she found out some surprising information from his boss.

Jasmine Arce, Common law Wife
"I saw him Friday morning he was heading to work, that was the last time I saw him."

"We had checked his work and he had filed for a week's vacation so we are like our hopes are up he is somewhere, but he filed for the week's vacation."

Courtney Weatherburne, reporter
"He didn't tell you that he filed for the week's vacation?"

Jasmine Arce, Common law Wife
"No he didn't tell me."

Jasmine Arce, Common law Wife
"Everything comes as a shock."

So on the surface, there are still many questions and loose ends in this case. But in the background, it seems his family knows more than they are willing to say at this time.

Courtney Weatherburne, reporter
"Do you have any idea who would want to do this to your brother, why they would want to kill him?"

Voice of: Orlando Perez, brother
"Uhm, well right now I don't really want to speculate anything because the investigation is still ongoing and I can't speak about that."

Courtney Weatherburne
"But you guys do have an idea more or less what could have happened or why they killed him?"

Orlando Perez
"Yes we have several theories."

But regardless of all these theories - none can bring solace and peace to Perez family, friends and co-workers.

Arline Enriquez, Administrative Assistant, Ministry of Health
"He was a friendly person always like joke around that is one thing I can say about Israel he gets along with everyone in the Ministry."

Courtney Weatherburne
"I am sure it painful and shocking for you all right now."

Arline Enriquez
"It is, it is, it just pain my heart when I got then news they found him."

Diane Locke, Director, Immigration Department
"I think we will all miss him terribly, we all enjoyed is company he was pretty close with some of the sections of staff, this is a very hard one for us."

Jasmine Arce, Common law Wife
"It feels unreal, it feels like it is a bad dream, I still can't believe it. I can't picture my son growing up without a dad and that is something Israel always told me, my baby is always going to have me."

Very important to note, Belmopan police found Perez's vehicle at a St. Matthews village home. Information is that investigators have detained the resident of that house. He is facing a number of lesser charges tonight - while the always fast moving Belmopan police continue to investigate him for murder.

Perez leaves behind a 4 year old son. He worked at the Ministry of Health as a 2nd class clerk for 1 year and he had been working as a nationality clerk at the immigration department.