Ontario Village Couple Killed in Early Morning Highway Crash

A man and a woman of Ontario Village, Cayo District, will be laid to rest this week after losing their lives in a road traffic incident early yesterday morning.  The victims have been identified as 27-year-old Ashley Mejia, an employee at the Belize Civic Center, and 27-year-old Jovaun Middleton, who worked with the Ministry of Human Development.  Love News understands that the couple was traveling west in a red GMC SUV registered in Belmopan when the driver, Middleton, reportedly lost control of the vehicle.  We join Belmopan Correspondent, LJay Wade for a report on the double fatal.

Ljay Wade, Love News: The community of Ontario Village is tonight grieving the tragic loss of two of their own following a devastating road traffic accident early Sunday morning. Just after 2:30 am on Sunday, police were called to the scene of a fatal accident near the entrance of Ontario Village. When officers arrived they discovered the lifeless bodies of 27-year-old Jovan Middleton and his companion Ashley Gongara beside the wreckage of a red GMC vehicle crumpled and overturned on the roadside. According to investigators, their preliminary findings suggest that the driver lost control of the vehicle which flipped several times before coming to rest on the opposite side of the highway. 

Stacy Smith, Assistant Superintendent of Police: “The responding officers observed a GMC SUV which showed extensive damages and also they observed the unresponsive bodies of two persons who were later identified to be Ashley Mejia, 27 years of age, a Belizean of Ontario Village, as well as Jovan Middleton a 27-year-old of the same village. Initial investigation has revealed that Mr. Middleton along with Ms. Mejia were traveling in the SUV from an east-west direction when Middleton is reported to have lost control of the vehicle as he approached a curve that is at the entrance of Ontario Village. This loss of control caused the vehicle to be overturned and resulted in the untimely demise of these two individuals.”

Ljay Wade, Love News: Middleton and Gongora were only minutes away from home when tragedy struck. Middleton’s sister, who lives in Belmopan, told of news that she was woken up by a phone call in the early hours of the morning, news that shattered her family once again. 

Valerie Middleton, Sister of Deceased: “So I was sleeping and I woke up because of a phone call. It was closer to 3 in the morning and that I was informed that my brother was in an accident in Ontario and that he’s supposedly dead. I am not sure what happened because there were conflicting stories and I was there so I can’t say exactly what happened but I know he was traveling from Belmopan and he was on his way home.”

Ljay Wade, Love News: Jovan was the youngest of seven siblings. And heartbreakingly, the second brother in the family to lose his life in a road accident. He had just celebrated his 27th birthday earlier this year. His sister described him as someone who brought light and laughter wherever he went. 

Valerie Middleton, Sister of Deceased: “Jovan was such a humble and jovial, respectful person. My brother like I always say they don’t make them like him anymore, right? Just, I guess his brought up, and my mom and dad did a great job raising Jovan to be who he is today. A man. And Jovan, he loved life. He loved adrenaline rush. He used to ride. He has his other friends that he rode with, other bikers, so he has a circle there. He had stopped riding but he still kept that circle because he loved the adrenaline rush of a bike. Also Jovan loved being a cowboy and it runs in our family, my uncle Kent, that was passed on to him and he took up that challenge and he was a cowboy and we call him a dancing cowboy too. He’s very colorful so he loves to dance. He has a wide network, he knows a lot of people and he recently started working at the Ministry of Human Development. He has like over a year there and he made that same positive impact there. He took his same humble spirit and he took it there and his supervisors called me and said, “You know what? Where did this guy come from?” they said, “I’ve never met a person like him before.” We are really taking this last rough. It’s unexpected and so that is one of the things that makes it even rougher. And my mom, my dad, having lost a child, you know, just three years ago, in an accident likewise and so this makes it extra difficult to cope with this loss. So we’re asking for prayers, continued prayers from everyone so that our family can find some type of peace. But my mom, my dad, my siblings and our families, we are trying hard to cope. It’s very difficult.”
Ljay Wade, Love News: Police say they are now awaiting test results to determine whether alcohol may have been a contributing factor. Reporting for Love News, Ljay Wade.