BELIZE - Alison MacKenzie, 43, tourist, from AZ, Rendezvous Caye, 18 Jan 2020

[PommyMommy]

So where does that leave it? They will stop looking for her, no foul play, she wasn’t murdered, her boyfriend and everyone else is in the clear, so did she swim off into the sunrise, have someone come get her in the middle of the night? Where the heck is she? Hidden/buried under sand? IMO

The physical search is over unless/until they uncover something that leads to another search location, and the investigation continues. MOO

 

[Midwestmom2019]

So where does that leave it? They will stop looking for her, no foul play, she wasn’t murdered, her boyfriend and everyone else is in the clear, so did she swim off into the sunrise, have someone come get her in the middle of the night? Where the heck is she? Hidden/buried under sand? IMO

In a coconut shell:
American involved in or stumbled upon drug cartel movement. That’s why FBI asked to join search per police, and they welcomed the assistance. Put together with posts that have been scrubbed, as in boyfriend reviews with 24 hr assault rifle guards, replies missing, spinning stories, guides leave at night against treacherous currents, then reports that they stay, it’s a fluid story depending on need.
Belize retirement ads? Nope. I’ll hang out here. Same drugs, same problems but at least they are in English. I know where NOT to go on a moonlit night. Outside in unfamiliar surroundings. Sad state. Like I said, not victim bashing, but ‘ja know? Be careful.

 

[JudgeDee]

Something to consider....
Belize is a major trans-shipment point for drugs coming from Columbia and going to the U.S.. According to the U.S. State Dept. as well as much in the media (esp. Belize media), drug cartels ship them in via air as well as sea. They use the 100's of little cayes Belieze has for trans-shipment, (they also do this in the Bahamas and other mjr trans-ship points). Sometimes airplanes do "wet-drops" and drop the drugs in the area and boats pick them up or sometimes larger boats can be used and smaller boats go out to deeper waters to meet them and pick up the goods. There are probably a number of other possible scenarios that occur in these trans-ship operations. They use stealthy "go-fast" boats and probably other stealthy craft, but they operate mostly at night where (at least in Belieze) they go virtually undetected because the government does not have the means to detect and track them. (When I lived in SoCal, the press would occassionally report that such craft would show up abandoned on the shores not far from where I lived). In Belieze there are rival gangs competing for control of these trans-ship routes. The crime that happens around drug trafficking is not a mystery to the local people and press. It could be that the captain and crew of this tour knew there is a possibilty of drug traffickers showing up (and making an exchange or smthg) on the dock of the island. The captain supposedly told Allison at 2:30 a.m. that she should go back to her tent and that she shouldnt be out there at night. Why would he say this if he didnt think dangerous elements could turn up on the island. Also in a recent interview the Belieze police chief gave to the media he said "I dont know what security measures they have out there (on the island)". Buy saying this the police chief is implying that there is a need for such measures. So it is a possibility that Allison was up late contemplating things(she had family deaths she was recovering from) and hanging out at late hours maybe on the dock (its a good place to sit at night if you want to enjoy a nightime view of the moon and water and maybe fish below the dock. Perhaps drug runners stealthily approached the dock to do a quite trans-shipment in the early hours and she accidentally witnessed this or encountered them. They may have kidnapped her or worse. This activity might not have been heard by the others who were sound asleep in a tent and probably under one of those huts with the ambient noise of the ocean. At night especially the noise of the lapping waves can muffle and drown out noises made a little further away. If you take a look at the local press you can easily find that such a tragedy has happened numerous times to both locals and tourists over the past years. People go missing or their bodies sometimes eventually turn up, float up etc. Unfortunately the police, coast gaurd and most of the government is grossly underfunded and they dont have the technology, manpower or trainning to see these cases through to any kind of justice (in the case of foul play).

yes welcome! Nice to have you and someone that clearly understands the realities in Belize and other Caribbean locations.

Not only do drugs arrive by sea, but by plane. One landed and was empty this week. Suspected drug shipment. http://www.7newsbelize.com/index.php#story1

Hi thank you (and others) for your kind welcome. =)

The "7 news" news feed from the link you have above is very interesting. The police said the following about Allison:

"We understand that they were drinking on the boat heavily and she may have gotten drunk before going to bed. We're not sure but it can be assumed that she might have left her tent and went into the sea and something happened there are watchmen on the island and they have also been interviewed by the police and they have shared some information but I don't want to take that information public."

This is a confusing statement: on the one hand they suggest she became drunk and went into the water and had some sort of accident, on the other hand they say there were watchmen on the island (thats new news) and that they interviewed them, but apparently these watchmen did not know what happened to Allison. What (or who) were they watching for and how could they miss the supposed drunk lady going into the water herself and having some sort of accident/problem? The island is about an acre, so it would be hard to miss. Then he says that the watchmen shared information but that he does not want to share that with the public. The implication may be that her behavior was such that it may be embarassing for her or family to reveal publicly. This all sounds very muddled to me.
It may be that she had too much to drink and had an accident. But a middle-aged lady, who has raised two adult girls who adore her and seems to have survived life well thus far- I would question that even if she had drinks that she would go in the water at night, especially if she is afraid to swim in the ocean as her family had stated. I love swimming, diving, snorkeling in the ocean but definitely not at night. I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt that she is/was able to take care of herself. On the other hand the authorities, crew and watchmen seem to have inconsistencies in their story. The captain or crew claimed she was behaving "erratically" but the police (when asked) are unable to explain what that means, what her behavior was more specifically. The captain was suppose to have brought her to her tent at 2:30 and told her to stay in there. There were watchmen there, and they didnt see her come out of her tent again and what ultimately happened to her? Yet they shared information with the police about her that cant be shared publicly. Hmmm. It seems like a lot of confusion and perhaps some negligence. Or perhaps something altogether different, maybe Allison was a victim of a crime and its being kept quiet. Employees and authorities alike might not want to share the realities of crime (as well as slack safety measures) there as it would detour tourism which is vital for this developing country. (I have lived and stayed in developing countries myself and found sometimes the truth of these matters are not always shared as it is embarassing and/or hurts business.) You can see the dangers yourself by reading the channel 7 news feed ()for just today) above, there are at least two cases of homicide where suspects are returning to court for their second of such charge. There are two cases of kidnapping too. And the drug trafficking flight landing in the interior of the country that the police said they had no prior knowledge of, but the press seems to believe otherwise, and that the traffickers could have been caught by the police had they acted on that warning. You can see there are ample problems with crime and probably probelms with adequate law enforcment (as stated by our US State Dept in their country report of Belieze).

Im afraid for Allsion and her family that they will never know what has happened to her.
It is so sad. Its also eye-opening, and hopefully people will research more and take more precaution before traveling to places unfamiliar.

 

[Sillybilly]

Websleuths 101 everyone ...

Stop discussing the "friend". Unless that person is an officially named POI/suspect, do not sleuth him and post about it at Websleuths.

As per usual, members may discuss what is said about a person in MSM, or what that person has said in MSM, but are not allowed to sleuth them out and post what they find here.

 

[mickey2942]

How many threads have there been on WS in the last year, about women traveling, and ending up missing or dead?

That is really scary.

 

[UnderstandBlue]

.

 

[Sixcats1]

I’ve read a few books about chartering yachts or boat owners traveling in the Caribbean. I asked my brother who has owned boats and been in the coast guard if he would be interested in doing such a trip. He told me he would never do one because of the Pirates. Thinking he was teasing, I did some research and realized that there are quite a few dangers from pirates.

Is it possible that a boat nearby sent in a dingy and took her? I can’t imagine that if she fell into the sea that an aerial search would not have found her body.

 

[LietKynes]

How many threads have there been on WS in the last year, about women traveling, and ending up missing or dead?

That is really scary.

The most recent case I can remember is the Robyn Gardener case.

In both Robyn and Alison's case they weren't alone. So it seems like someone in that group would know something.
Did any of them like to stay up late (night owls) and hear anything ?

This is so strange that she could vanish on such a small island.
Wonder if she really did just go for a leisurely swim and was attacked by a shark ?
So sad for her family who it seems aren't getting many answers.
Hope they know something soon !

 

[UnderstandBlue]

The most recent case I can remember is the Robyn Gardener case.

In both Robyn and Alison's case they weren't alone. So it seems like someone in that group would know something.
Did any of them like to stay up late (night owls) and hear anything ?

This is so strange that she could vanish on such a small island.
Wonder if she really did just go for a leisurely swim and was attacked by a shark ?
So sad for her family who it seems aren't getting many answers.
Hope they know something soon !

It's so small. As a person who would not enjoy sleeping in a tent in a situation like that, I have to think that people getting up, unzipping tents, getting in the water, etc. would have been heard - such a compact space.

 

[PommyMommy]

I don't think there's anything new here but it's a good review.

JAN 23, 2020
Allison MacKenzie Missing: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com
[...]

Channel 5 Belize says that Alison MacKenzie’s boyfriend, Paige Rote, is not a suspect in MacKenzie’s disappearance. The couple was staying in a tent on Rendezvous Caye after a catamaran tour they took with Ragamuffin Tours. Rote, 58, reported to authorities in Belize that he woke up on Saturday at 6 a.m. to find his girlfriend missing.

[...]

Channel 5 Belize says that police told the media that MacKenzie was drinking on Friday night, the night before she went missing. Tour officials said that her behavior was “erratic.” Lieutenant Roque Canul, Operations Officer, Belize Coast Guard, told Channel 5 Belize that Friday night, she started behaving suspiciously.

[...]

Alison MacKenzie’s sister, Jodie Dixon, told 7 News Belize that it was not typical for MacKenzie to drink and that she has never seen her intoxicated. She says that a woman named Charlie, who was on the same tour as MacKenzie, told her over the phone that the captain of Raggamuffin Tours was the last person to see her sister before her disappearance, and that he walked her back to her tent about 2:30 a.m.

[...]

Channel 5 Belize says that MacKenzie and her boyfriend, Paige Rote, planned on buying property later this year in Southern Belize. She came to Belize with her boyfriend in December 2019 and planned to return to the US in May 2020. Her family does not believe that her boyfriend was involved in her disappearance.

[...]

...
The tour company provided details about all passengers and each crew member on the tour with MacKenzie on Friday night. Extensive interviews have been conducted by police.

[...]

Raggamuffin Tours’ website says that the tour accesses the remote or inaccessible parts of Belize’s reef where people like to snorkel and fish. The tour begins at Caye Caulker and ends in Dangriga. The tour stays in the inner reef, where the water is calmer.

The trip lasts three days and passengers camp on Rendezvous Caye and Ragga Cayes while visiting Goffs Caye or English Caye, Tobacco Caye and South Water Caye.

 

[mickey2942]

Hmm, there are so many men, who end up with missing wives and girlfriends. And, they were the last ones to see them. I can think of several. Most recently, Barbara Thomas.

These poor men. They must be absolutely sick.

 

[LietKynes]

Any cameras on that island caye ?
If not there should be, not only for the tourists' safety but also for the employees in case a visitor accused them of wrongdoing.
Also, a camera would show her walking to the water for a swim--if that's what she did.

 

[Midwestmom2019]

Sounds like the authorities in Belize do not believe foul play was involved in her disappearance:

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Duh. Of course not. It’s bad for tourism.

 

[diggndeeperstill]

Something to consider....
Belize is a major trans-shipment point for drugs coming from Columbia and going to the U.S.. According to the U.S. State Dept. as well as much in the media (esp. Belize media), drug cartels ship them in via air as well as sea. They use the 100's of little cayes Belieze has for trans-shipment, (they also do this in the Bahamas and other mjr trans-ship points). Sometimes airplanes do "wet-drops" and drop the drugs in the area and boats pick them up or sometimes larger boats can be used and smaller boats go out to deeper waters to meet them and pick up the goods. There are probably a number of other possible scenarios that occur in these trans-ship operations. They use stealthy "go-fast" boats and probably other stealthy craft, but they operate mostly at night where (at least in Belieze) they go virtually undetected because the government does not have the means to detect and track them. (When I lived in SoCal, the press would occassionally report that such craft would show up abandoned on the shores not far from where I lived). In Belieze there are rival gangs competing for control of these trans-ship routes. The crime that happens around drug trafficking is not a mystery to the local people and press. It could be that the captain and crew of this tour knew there is a possibilty of drug traffickers showing up (and making an exchange or smthg) on the dock of the island. The captain supposedly told Allison at 2:30 a.m. that she should go back to her tent and that she shouldnt be out there at night. Why would he say this if he didnt think dangerous elements could turn up on the island. Also in a recent interview the Belieze police chief gave to the media he said "I dont know what security measures they have out there (on the island)". Buy saying this the police chief is implying that there is a need for such measures. So it is a possibility that Allison was up late contemplating things(she had family deaths she was recovering from) and hanging out at late hours maybe on the dock (its a good place to sit at night if you want to enjoy a nightime view of the moon and water and maybe fish below the dock. Perhaps drug runners stealthily approached the dock to do a quite trans-shipment in the early hours and she accidentally witnessed this or encountered them. They may have kidnapped her or worse. This activity might not have been heard by the others who were sound asleep in a tent and probably under one of those huts with the ambient noise of the ocean. At night especially the noise of the lapping waves can muffle and drown out noises made a little further away. If you take a look at the local press you can easily find that such a tragedy has happened numerous times to both locals and tourists over the past years. People go missing or their bodies sometimes eventually turn up, float up etc. Unfortunately the police, coast gaurd and most of the government is grossly underfunded and they dont have the technology, manpower or trainning to see these cases through to any kind of justice (in the case of foul play).



Hi thank you (and others) for your kind welcome. =)

The "7 news" news feed from the link you have above is very interesting. The police said the following about Allison:

"We understand that they were drinking on the boat heavily and she may have gotten drunk before going to bed. We're not sure but it can be assumed that she might have left her tent and went into the sea and something happened there are watchmen on the island and they have also been interviewed by the police and they have shared some information but I don't want to take that information public."

This is a confusing statement: on the one hand they suggest she became drunk and went into the water and had some sort of accident, on the other hand they say there were watchmen on the island (thats new news) and that they interviewed them, but apparently these watchmen did not know what happened to Allison. What (or who) were they watching for and how could they miss the supposed drunk lady going into the water herself and having some sort of accident/problem? The island is about an acre, so it would be hard to miss. Then he says that the watchmen shared information but that he does not want to share that with the public. The implication may be that her behavior was such that it may be embarassing for her or family to reveal publicly. This all sounds very muddled to me.
It may be that she had too much to drink and had an accident. But a middle-aged lady, who has raised two adult girls who adore her and seems to have survived life well thus far- I would question that even if she had drinks that she would go in the water at night, especially if she is afraid to swim in the ocean as her family had stated. I love swimming, diving, snorkeling in the ocean but definitely not at night. I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt that she is/was able to take care of herself. On the other hand the authorities, crew and watchmen seem to have inconsistencies in their story. The captain or crew claimed she was behaving "erratically" but the police (when asked) are unable to explain what that means, what her behavior was more specifically. The captain was suppose to have brought her to her tent at 2:30 and told her to stay in there. There were watchmen there, and they didnt see her come out of her tent again and what ultimately happened to her? Yet they shared information with the police about her that cant be shared publicly. Hmmm. It seems like a lot of confusion and perhaps some negligence. Or perhaps something altogether different, maybe Allison was a victim of a crime and its being kept quiet. Employees and authorities alike might not want to share the realities of crime (as well as slack safety measures) there as it would detour tourism which is vital for this developing country. (I have lived and stayed in developing countries myself and found sometimes the truth of these matters are not always shared as it is embarassing and/or hurts business.) You can see the dangers yourself by reading the channel 7 news feed ()for just today) above, there are at least two cases of homicide where suspects are returning to court for their second of such charge. There are two cases of kidnapping too. And the drug trafficking flight landing in the interior of the country that the police said they had no prior knowledge of, but the press seems to believe otherwise, and that the traffickers could have been caught by the police had they acted on that warning. You can see there are ample problems with crime and probably probelms with adequate law enforcment (as stated by our US State Dept in their country report of Belieze).

Im afraid for Allsion and her family that they will never know what has happened to her.
It is so sad. Its also eye-opening, and hopefully people will research more and take more precaution before traveling to places unfamiliar.

Thank you for taking the time to type that all out. As someone that literally followed from the beginning and read every story, and more that can’t be shared, you sum it up well. So many different things could have happened. And yes, so many different stories.

Anyone know just what the FBI does at this point? I don’t know if they only “assist” and case closed now, or have an independent investigation?

 

[Miss415]

The "7 news" news feed from the link you have above is very interesting. The police said the following about Allison:

"We understand that they were drinking on the boat heavily and she may have gotten drunk before going to bed. We're not sure but it can be assumed that she might have left her tent and went into the sea and something happened there are watchmen on the island and they have also been interviewed by the police and they have shared some information but I don't want to take that information public."

I hope it's okay that I cut out parts of that quote and added red.
Browsing the photos from the google maps link I realized by accident you can zoom in on the photos. This one photo has a guy standing there- definitely NOT a tourist! Looks like a watchman or some kind of guard standing by what might be the restroom? You'll need to zoom in. I was able to do it with my mouse & a little box appears that lets you move around the frame- he's standing on the far left of the frame.
Google Maps

 

[Midwestmom2019]

I hope it's okay that I cut out parts of that quote and added red.
Browsing the photos from the google maps link I realized by accident you can zoom in on the photos. This one photo has a guy standing there- definitely NOT a tourist! Looks like a watchman or some kind of guard standing by what might be the restroom? You'll need to zoom in. I was able to do it with my mouse & a little box appears that lets you move around the frame- he's standing on the far left of the frame.
Google Maps

If it’s the one photo I saw, looks like he has a gun on his back. You can just see the butt over his left shoulder.

 

[PhoebeTries]

Any cameras on that island caye ?
If not there should be, not only for the tourists' safety but also for the employees in case a visitor accused them of wrongdoing.
Also, a camera would show her walking to the water for a swim--if that's what she did.

I'm afraid this would prove to be quite challenging as these would need a power supply and some kind of connection to the internet or some back up.

 

[Katherine Isgreat]

I cannot find any statements about watchmen on the indicated MSM account. Please help - I see clearly that others see it, but it is not in the clip. ???

 

[LarryLujack]

New thought after reading some of the posts.

What if the security watchmen or crew were involved in some of the drug operations going on around the cays? What if Alison was up for whatever reason and saw something, say around 2:30am. Was she drunk earlier in day, erratic around 2:30am, as the captain stated? Could she have seen something, been taken and perhaps even still alive?

 

[Midwestmom2019]

New thought after reading some of the posts.

What if the security watchmen or crew were involved in some of the drug operations going on around the cays? What if Alison was up for whatever reason and saw something, say around 2:30am. Was she drunk earlier in day, erratic around 2:30am, as the captain stated? Could she have seen something, been taken and perhaps even still alive?

Maybe captain didn’t take her back but disposed of her?