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

[Tiffstar]

I've been reading this site since the Jayne Close abduction and finally signed up for an account, so this is my first post. Great site you all contribute to here.

If her sister says she doesn't drink, I'm going to believe that and I don't think it's okay to assume otherwise, just because she had a DUI related charge. Speaking from experience, I'm not a drinker either... a few years ago, I got pulled over driving home from a minor oral surgery procedure and I was charged with DUI, because my surgeon had given me half of a pain pill to take mmediately after the procedure and when I got pulled over for going 5 mph over the speed limit, I was honest and told the officer where I had been, what I had taken in the office, etc. I sat in the dentists office for 4 hours post op, as I was told to do, and did everything correctly, yet I was still arrested and charged with DUI because I didn't have an actual prescription on me for the what my dentist had given me (he had offered me a prescription, but I didn't want any pain pills, so I opted against it. Little did I know, just having a script would be saved me $4000 in legal fees!).

So, if you sleuth me, you might see I have a DUI charge and assume I'm a drinker, despite the fact that I haven't had a sip of alcohol in many years and I'm not into drugs, either. It was eventually downgraded, but its still something I have to explain every time someone runs a background check to me. Most people arent aware how many different things fall under DUI, even when alcohol or illegal drugs arent involved. Something to consider.

I think it's a ashame that the search was called off so soon. Chances are, sadly, she is out in that water somewhere. I'm not convinced it was a tragic accident or something more sinister. I could see either being a legit possibility here.

 

[Rosegold68]

wow this one is baffling!

 

[mickey2942]

Honestly as soon as I saw rum punch mentioned, I said “uh oh.” In my house we don’t even say the words, “rum punch,” because of my own experience with rum punch 20 years ago in a touristy Caribbean all inclusive.

Yep, I bet that they added some tequila to the "rum punch". Mickey thinks that tequila is pure poison to Irish folks. Probably does the same thing to Scots.

Darn, that stuff is tasty. Good thing it stays down in Belize, and Mexico.

 

[happyday]

I've been reading this site since the Jayne Close abduction and finally signed up for an account, so this is my first post. Great site you all contribute to here.

If her sister says she doesn't drink, I'm going to believe that and I don't think it's okay to assume otherwise, just because she had a DUI related charge. Speaking from experience, I'm not a drinker either... a few years ago, I got pulled over driving home from a minor oral surgery procedure and I was charged with DUI, because my surgeon had given me half of a pain pill to take mmediately after the procedure and when I got pulled over for going 5 mph over the speed limit, I was honest and told the officer where I had been, what I had taken in the office, etc. I sat in the dentists office for 4 hours post op, as I was told to do, and did everything correctly, yet I was still arrested and charged with DUI because I didn't have an actual prescription on me for the what my dentist had given me (he had offered me a prescription, but I didn't want any pain pills, so I opted against it. Little did I know, just having a script would be saved me $4000 in legal fees!).

So, if you sleuth me, you might see I have a DUI charge and assume I'm a drinker, despite the fact that I haven't had a sip of alcohol in many years and I'm not into drugs, either. It was eventually downgraded, but its still something I have to explain every time someone runs a background check to me. Most people arent aware how many different things fall under DUI, even when alcohol or illegal drugs arent involved. Something to consider.

I think it's a ashame that the search was called off so soon. Chances are, sadly, she is out in that water somewhere. I'm not convinced it was a tragic accident or something more sinister. I could see either being a legit possibility here.

Welcome to WS Tiffstar!!!

Wow what a story! That really sucks you have to deal with that. Even with keeping you for 4 hours I’m surprised the dentist let you drive yourself home. Usually they require you have someone drive you if you get anything more than a local. So sorry. And you’re right that just having a DUI doesn’t tell the whole story.

Besides her dui’s there have been articles saying she was drinking that night and one even said drinking “heavily,” but I’ll have to go look for those articles.

 

[whitelilac]

Ragamuffin Tours has a FB page. The comments are all so positive and it seems this outfit has a great reputation. There are also comments about the crew being very safety conscious, not allowing visitors to get in the water after dark and so on. If the captain and crew were the same on this particular trip, no one seems to have had any problems with them at all, quite the contrary.

I just don't know what could have happened, but I'm really leaning to a tragic accident. I wish that the search had not been suspended s soon.

 

[happyday]

3 Days Later – Alison MacKenzie is Still Missing! | Channel5Belize.com

From this article:

Police also told the media that MacKenzie was drinking. Her erratic behavior on Friday night was reportedly noticed by tour officials.

 

[diggndeeperstill]

Search and rescue operation for missing American tourist at sea called off; FBI offers help - The San Pedro Sun

SABBM:

Over the past days, the BCG searched Rendezvous Caye and nearby areas, expanding their searches all the way to Alligator Caye, located several nautical miles south. They also had a second search and rescue unit to maximize the chances of finding Mackenzie, but all efforts were fruitless.
-----------
While Mackenzie is yet to be found, a few theories have been circulating online. Some believe that perhaps someone may have harmed her or she went for a walk and fell into the sea. Another speculation is that she went for a late-night swim and encountered turbulent waters, which swept her away.
_____________________

Looks like whoever authored this article has been visiting our forum.

Gotta' love it when reporters consider regurgitating random theories being batted around by complete strangers online to be good investigative journalism.

JMO.

I agree they always read here. But I honestly saw those theories were suggested from the absolute very beginning- from the boyfriend, to tour operator.

 

[diggndeeperstill]

Ragamuffin Tours has a FB page. The comments are all so positive and it seems this outfit has a great reputation. There are also comments about the crew being very safety conscious, not allowing visitors to get in the water after dark and so on. If the captain and crew were the same on this particular trip, no one seems to have had any problems with them at all, quite the contrary.

I just don't know what could have happened, but I'm really leaning to a tragic accident. I wish that the search had not been suspended s soon.

I personally manage 5 Facebook pages. You can control all of what is on that page. You can delete comments, block users, whatever you want to do.
I would look at TripAdvisor, and google reviews for more info.

 

[GordianKnot]

Welcome to WS Tiffstar!!!

Wow what a story! That really sucks you have to deal with that. Even with keeping you for 4 hours I’m surprised the dentist let you drive yourself home. Usually they require you have someone drive you if you get anything more than a local. So sorry. And you’re right that just having a DUI doesn’t tell the whole story.

Besides her dui’s there have been articles saying she was drinking that night and one even said drinking “heavily,” but I’ll have to go look for those articles.

Bingo.

It's not "just" having an arrest record for DUI, although that alone would be enough for Occam and me to lean accidental drowning.

Here, we have a "DUI Plus" situation, where we have not just her history, but anecdotal reports that she was drinking that night, along with descriptions of her behavior that night being "erratic."

It would be great to have a more detailed description of what exact behaviors she displayed that were "erratic."

Her history indicates she's engaged in some unsafe behavior while under the influence.

It's not a wild leap to conclude that drinking that night may have led her to make some choices she would not have made in a clear-headed state.

"Closing your eyes to the obvious is the surest way to flunk the vision test." - GordianKnot

JMO.

 

[whitelilac]

Why would the FBI get involved with a random tourist who vanishes on a tour, who APPEARS to have made some questionable choices. Is this the norm? Was the FBI involved with the disappearance of tourists in the Dominican Republic and elsewhere in the Caribbean?

 

[musicaljoke]

Search and rescue operation for missing American tourist at sea called off; FBI offers help - The San Pedro Sun

While Mackenzie is yet to be found, a few theories have been circulating online. Some believe that perhaps someone may have harmed her or she went for a walk and fell into the sea. Another speculation is that she went for a late-night swim and encountered turbulent waters, which swept her away.

JMO.

Surely if she encountered turbulent waters she would call out for help.

 

[diggndeeperstill]

Bingo.

It's not "just" having an arrest record for DUI, although that alone would be enough for me and Occam to lean accidental drowning.

Here, we have a "DUI Plus" situation, where we have not just her history, but anecdotal reports that she was drinking that night, along with descriptions of her behavior that night being "erratic."

It would be great to have a more detailed description of what exact behaviors she displayed that were "erratic."

Her history indicates she's engaged in some unsafe behavior while under the influence.

It's not a wild leap to conclude that drinking that night may have led her to make some choices she would not have made in a clear-headed state.

"Closing your eyes to the obvious is the surest way to flunk the vision test." - GordianKnot

JMO.

I agree, and have always valued your opinions and experience here. Maybe it is the sadness of realizing that a choice to overindulge could lead to death in such a seemingly safe place. I mean no driving, no Uber, no waking home, just a tent and a boyfriend. I also think it’s sad when one prior mistake defines a person. Or maybe I like a “crazy conspiracy theory”. Answers that would help me.
Why did no one other than authorities who later scolded the tour company report erratic behavior? Why have we not heard from any other tour participants?
Why did the boyfriend not make a public statement indicating she was intoxicated or remorse for not watching her if she was?
When did the crew quit serving alcohol?
Why no follow up with the captain seeing her at 2:30 am?

Just answers to those questions would help me.

Why would the FBI get involved with a random tourist who vanishes on a tour, who APPEARS to have made some questionable choices. Is this the norm? Was the FBI involved with the disappearance of tourists in the Dominican Republic and elsewhere in the Caribbean?

I think they did do an independent investigation in the DR. What I don’t know is if they are doing their own investigation or if they just offered assistance, which sounds like case closed now? I wish I knew how to figure this out! Has anyone seen a local reporter doing any investigative work in this?

 

[Beth11311]

Of all the places to disappear....it’s certainly tiny enough to be certain she isn’t on the caye anymore. My bet is on her being out in the water somewhere, an unfortunate accident. But man how crazy.

 

[happyday]

Surely if she encountered turbulent waters she would call out for help.

You would think so, but she could have hit her head and blacked out or if drowning she probably couldn’t have gotten her head above water to yell. I think it could happen silently and quickly.

 

[GordianKnot]

Surely if she encountered turbulent waters she would call out for help.

BBM: Surprisingly, no. She very well may not have called out for help:

Lifeguard-Turned-Filmmaker Seeks to Debunk Drowning Myths

SABBM:

Aug. 15, 2010 — -- In the movies, people on the verge of drowning are often waving their arms and screaming for help. But in real life, panic plays out differently.

Drowning is often a silent killer.

"Since the respiratory system was designed primarily for breathing and not speech," Pia said, "and since the person is not getting enough air in to breathe, they're not going to call out for help. That's myth No. 1."

Pia is now trying to dispel the myths of what drowning looks like. He says even lifeguards often don't know what real drownings look like, and other swimmers may not raise alarm either. A recent study by the New York State Health Department found half of the drownings at guarded pools happened with one to five swimmers present.

 

[mickey2942]

Why would the FBI get involved with a random tourist who vanishes on a tour, who APPEARS to have made some questionable choices. Is this the norm? Was the FBI involved with the disappearance of tourists in the Dominican Republic and elsewhere in the Caribbean?

I wondered about this as well, their jurisdiction is the United States, usually investigations outside of the United States are done by CIA?

 

[PommyMommy]

Why would the FBI get involved with a random tourist who vanishes on a tour, who APPEARS to have made some questionable choices. Is this the norm? Was the FBI involved with the disappearance of tourists in the Dominican Republic and elsewhere in the Caribbean?

Yes, and also Natalie Holloway, Robyn Gardner (both in Aruba)... MOO

 

[diggndeeperstill]

A little background on the prevalent drug problem in Belize. Showing this because of related deaths on Cayes and discussion about ease of getting drugs as a tourist. But, more importantly because of what I have bolded. I also think that because of the preponderance of drug activity in Belize normally, the drug plane landing recently that these things should be considered as a tie in to her disappearance.

And to think that Alison was able to stay in Belize for a month with no problems, apparently anyway, yet one night on an island. Why then?

Belize’s Island Paradise Is Caught Up in a Bloods Vs Crips Floating Drug War
(Emphasis mine)

Residents told VICE News that in this tourist hub the amount of murders that actually get reported are well below the actual number and disappearances are more common than authorities let on.

 

[diggndeeperstill]

Since we are allowed to post her social media I wonder about this post. A profile picture. Some people compliment her and she responds, her boyfriend does and she does not respond, why? Alison MacKenzie

 

[Beth11311]

BBM: Surprisingly, no. She very well may not have called out for help:

Lifeguard-Turned-Filmmaker Seeks to Debunk Drowning Myths

SABBM:

Aug. 15, 2010 — -- In the movies, people on the verge of drowning are often waving their arms and screaming for help. But in real life, panic plays out differently.

Drowning is often a silent killer.

"Since the respiratory system was designed primarily for breathing and not speech," Pia said, "and since the person is not getting enough air in to breathe, they're not going to call out for help. That's myth No. 1."

Pia is now trying to dispel the myths of what drowning looks like. He says even lifeguards often don't know what real drownings look like, and other swimmers may not raise alarm either. A recent study by the New York State Health Department found half of the drownings at guarded pools happened with one to five swimmers present.

To add to this, the Instinctive Drowning Response is what prevents people from being able to call out:

Instinctive drowning response - Wikipedia