Belize - Francesca Matus, 52, & Drew De Voursney, 36, murdered, Corozal, 25 Apr 2017

[wendybtn]

Slightly O/T - Despite how sad I am over the murder of two fellow human beings and how bad I feel for their family and friends, isn't it interesting to see how criminal law and LE works in another country?

 

[Dushi]

Snipped

Expats acquainted with the couple tell us that Matus’ tenant, who lived on the lower flat of the Consejo house, has not been seen since Saturday. Police are yet to confirm if he is in custody, but sources say that he is being questioned.

While their hands were bound with duct tape, they were manually strangled to death.”


They recently became involved and lived here at this two-storey house on Serenity Sands Road in the pristine and quiet village of Consejo, some four miles north of Corozal Town. While they occupied the upper flat, another expat, known only by the name of John, was the tenant in the ground floor. John has not been seen in recent days.

http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/145723


I didn't realize they shared the home together.
I wrongly assumed they lived apart

 

[Dushi]

He added that her companion, Drew De Voursney, 36, also left his passport in his home. His motorcycle — his only form of transportation — was parked at Matus's house.

I am confused.
Did they share a house or have separate residences?
Just curious

 

[Dushi]

Drew was 6'6"
How hard would it be to manually strangle a man that size?
It feels like he would have had to be disabled or subdued in some way other that his wrist duct taped

Or held I guess

 

[andreww]

He added that her companion, Drew De Voursney, 36, also left his passport in his home. His motorcycle — his only form of transportation — was parked at Matus's house.

I am confused.
Did they share a house or have separate residences?
Just curious

They'd only been in a relationship for two months, and as both had been going to Belize for several years, they did have separate residences. I would guess that they spent a lot of time in one or the other though.

 

[andreww]

Drew was 6'6"
How hard would it be to manually strangle a man that size?
It feels like he would have had to be disabled or subdued in some way other that his wrist duct taped

Or held I guess

One might guess that the assailant had a gun. If alone, he could have forced Francesca to duct tape Drew's wrists, then done hers himself.

 

[andreww]

I'm having trouble with the edit button. Sorry for the typos. I'll try to be more careful.

Anyway, I wanted to say that when I first saw the story I initially thought that maybe someone took them and wanted one or both to transfer funds to someone's account. ....thinking they'd have a couple of days to get it out or whatever. And that local friends would just think that they'd both left the area and were not missing. NOw I'm just confused.

I also wonder if they had the flat tire after leaving the bar, trying to get home in which case it could be just an opportunity type thing, or if the perp had the flat while dumping the car. But this seems a little too planned - the duct tape for starters.

Too many clues for this to be a random robbery
- Threats
- Francesca's planning to leave in the morning
- Tampered door lock
- Duct tape

Add to that, would you rob a girl that was with a 6'6" ex marine?

This has all the makings of a planned hit. They are dead because for some reason somebody wanted them dead. I'm wondering if the perp knew that the farmer was about to torch the field and figured the bodies would be burned? Possibly the burning is something that is done every year at the beginning of May?

 

[Seriously?]

Too many clues for this to be a random robbery
- Threats
- Francesca's planning to leave in the morning
- Tampered door lock
- Duct tape

Add to that, would you rob a girl that was with a 6'6" ex marine?

This has all the makings of a planned hit. They are dead because for some reason somebody wanted them dead. I'm wondering if the perp knew that the farmer was about to torch the field and figured the bodies would be burned? Possibly the burning is something that is done every year at the beginning of May?

And maybe the battery was taken to make the car inoperable and burned along with the fields.

Also, I've noticed come duct tape on the passenger side front bumper/headlight in some of the pictures. I'm guessing the car body wasn't in great condition, so the door lock damage loses some significance for me.

 

[andreww]

rbbm
Wondering if Francesca became aware of something criminal going on and was warned not to call LE, but others learned that she and Drew knew something and they were murdered to ensure they stayed silent?
Speculation, imo.

http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/2017/05/04/police-confirm-canadian-woman-american-boyfriend-were-strangled-to-death

If there was something criminal going on, my Guess is Francesca was a part of it. I can find no record of her company's existence despite the fact that she's been doing it since 2009. My sister in law is in real estate and if I google her name I get dozens of hits on her. Francesca purports to be the president of Boardwalk, yet she spends 6 months of the year in Belize? I just don't see where her income was coming from? Drew on the other hand seemed to at least have thoughts of a career, buying land to start a dive shop, and starting school to operate heavy machinery.

Another thing that struck me as odd was that when LE mentioned the threats, they also mentioned that they felt that others in the community were aware it. That leads me to believe that the threats were related to something that many other people in the area were involved in. Weed? Maybe.

 

[andreww]

And maybe the battery was taken to make the car inoperable and burned along with the fields.

Also, I've noticed come duct tape on the passenger side front bumper/headlight in some of the pictures. I'm guessing the car body wasn't in great condition, so the door lock damage loses some significance for me.

I'm not sold on the lock thing either. I wonder if F&D left the bar to meet someone? Possibly to pay a debt? Maybe they were accosted where the truck was found?

 

[Dushi]

So what do you all think about the stolen battery?

 

[andreww]

In my opinion, this attack was well planned. Once it is discovered what the motive was, they will have the perpetrators.

After the celebration at the bar, the victims would have been relaxed and having had a few drinks, not as vigilant as perhaps they usually would be. They would have been focused on each other and the trip the next morning.

The strangest part to me (aside from one of them being a Marine who was 6 foot 6 inches) was that the cause of death is said to be strangulation, not gun shots.

Very sad for their family and friends. It's obvious how loved they were.

Possibly they didn't want anyone to hear gunshots? Or maybe they didn't want to leave forensic evidence (bullets) behind? Belize police don't seem to be up on the latest technologies being as they are doing autopsies in the middle of a sugar field, but they probably know how to match a bullet. Don't see the prospect of any other forensic evidence being very good.

 

[Seriously?]

I'm not sold on the lock thing either. I wonder if F&D left the bar to meet someone? Possibly to pay a debt? Maybe they were accosted where the truck was found?

Here's the picture of the car. Perhaps the doors left open to get the fire (going on the burning fields theory!) quickly to the interior.

https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/2017/04/30/vehicle-belonging-missing-canadian-american-couple/

 

[andreww]

So what do you all think about the stolen battery?

Quite frankly, in a poor country like that, wouldn't surprise me if a local came across the vehicle and stole the battery because he needed it.

 

[Seriously?]

So what do you all think about the stolen battery?

My post #308........so car was inoperable. If someone stumbled upon the car, it couldn't be moved.

 

[Dushi]

Quite frankly, in a poor country like that, wouldn't surprise me if a local came across the vehicle and stole the battery because he needed it.

Actually I think that is a very good explanation. Quite possible IMO

 

[andreww]

My post #308........so car was inoperable. If someone stumbled upon the car, it couldn't be moved.

Plenty of easier ways to disable a car. Take and ignition wire. To remove a battery takes several tools and at least 5 minutes.

 

[GraceG]

If there was something criminal going on, my Guess is Francesca was a part of it. I can find no record of her company's existence despite the fact that she's been doing it since 2009. My sister in law is in real estate and if I google her name I get dozens of hits on her. Francesca purports to be the president of Boardwalk, yet she spends 6 months of the year in Belize? I just don't see where her income was coming from? Drew on the other hand seemed to at least have thoughts of a career, buying land to start a dive shop, and starting school to operate heavy machinery.

Another thing that struck me as odd was that when LE mentioned the threats, they also mentioned that they felt that others in the community were aware it. That leads me to believe that the threats were related to something that many other people in the area were involved in. Weed? Maybe.

I am guessing she is self-employed. Her family stated she owns a few properties in the Toronto area that she manages. Since there are children there was likely a divorce and she could have used settlement money to start a business buying and renting or flipping small homes or properties, setting herself up perhaps as an LLC that has no other employees. That would not leave a paper trail but would provide enough income to travel and wouldn't require her to have a realtor's license. My step brother manages several rental homes in Seattle - if you googled him or the name he rents the properties under you wouldn't find anything on a search engine either, as he does this as a side business which covers his house payment and some spending money post-retirement, not as a big corporation.

 

[Satchie]

There perhaps could have been superficial knife wounds that are no longer visible. But, to be somewhat morbid, strangulation leaves no blood or other complicated physical evidence that has to be hidden, and some murderers prefer that.

I'd be more inclined towards Fransesca making money in Belize real estate than by being involved in drugs. That's her background and the market there has been heating up, so insiders can make money. Whether such investing is shady, IDK. I also think established mortgage brokers in the hot Toronto market can get by on word of mouth recommendations from realtors, etc.

Drugs, on the other hand, IMO are a very dangerous business and usually people only get involved if they have no real alternatives, or are young and stupid.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

 

[dotr]

http://www.cp24.com/news/police-rel...an-and-american-boyfriend-in-belize-1.3397477

Last Updated Thursday, May 4, 2017 3:50PM EDT Two people who were questioned by Belize police in the deaths of a Canadian woman and her American boyfriend have been released.
The mother of the American man says the U.S. embassy in Belize told her both people being questioned were released and no one is currently in custody.

Char De Voursney said she's disappointed in the lack of progress in the investigation, but is hopeful her son's remains will be returned home shortly.
“We're hoping to bury him in a national cemetery here in Georgia,” she said.
Ivana Pucci, Matus's cousin, said the Canadian government has made arrangements to bring her remains home, but is not sure when that will occur.