Police have identified the New Year's Day Blackman Eddy body. He was 23 year old Jaime Martinez. He is originally from Guatemala but he lived in Buena Vista for a couple years where he was well known as "Diesocho". He later moved to Orange Walk where his mother and sisters live. But Martinez went back to Buena Vista for the Christmas holidays and something went terribly wrong, something which led to a very vicious murder: he was strangled, bound and then dumped in the river. I went out west to try to piece together what happened to Martinez and when. Here is that story.
Courtney Weatherburne reporting
Jaime Martinez spent Christmas Day and Boxing Day morning at his friend Samuel Melendez's Buena Vista house. It was a big celebration because it was also Melendez's daughters' birthday.
Courtney Weatherburne, reporter
"You invited him here to your daughter's birthday party."
Samuel Melendez, Friend
"Yes that is right, I invited him here and he came, then on the 26th morning he came by and we finished what was there for the 25th and after that he went to his home. He went home around midday."
Courtney Weatherburne
"He didn't say anything, he didn't say..?"
Samuel Melendez, Friend
"He said he was going to look for a job close here so he can make some money for his passage to go back to Orange Walk."
Courtney Weatherburne
"And as you said you didn't see him the 27th , 28th, you didn't hear anything from him?"
Samuel Melendez, Friend
"No ma'am, I didn't, for those days I spent the rest with my family right now."
Apparently he never made it to back to Orange Walk. Our information is that Martinez was at a wedding reception at this house on the 29th in the same checkered shirt and black pants he was found with in Blackman Eddy.
Then the village pastor Juan Bautista, with whom Martinez stayed for about a year says he saw him in the village on the 30th .
So it came as a shock to the Buena Vistas community when Martinez's body turned up in the river in Blackman Eddy on New Year's Day. His hands were tied behind his back and Martinez had been strangled to death.
Phillip Robateau, Area Resident
"Some people went across the river because it is those guys from La Ruta Maya found the body, I think they paddle for Westrac."
Courtney Weatherburne:
"So they went in a canoe."
Phillip Robateau, Area Resident
"So they were practicing so they found the body and they call the police and make the report or something like that."
Who would want Martinez dead? And in such a calculated, gruesome fashion? His friends say they have no idea because he was just young hardworking man who liked his liquor but didn't trouble anyone.
Courtney Weatherburne:
"He never spoke to you about any problems he had with anyone here in the village or anywhere else? Nothing at all?"
Samuel Melendez, Friend
"No really because from the time I know the guy he was a cool guy, every time we drank something we would just be here, play guitar and stuff like that and he gets high he goes home because as you know I have my kids so he respects all of that."
"I never hear about him stealing or anything or doing this, nothing like that, he was a good man."
Juan Bautista, Pastor
"Probably when he was drunk he had some argument with someone but he didn't have any enemies."
Martinez has no kids.
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