Police Identify Body Found Near Caesar Ridge as 70-Year-Old Albert Franklin

Police have identified the man whose body was found floating in the water near Caesar Ridge Road in Belize City as seventy-year-old Honduran national Albert Franklin, a resident of Church Street. Police confirmed his identity just after two this afternoon.  The discovery was made in the Port Loyola area. A resident said he went outside after his dogs began barking and noticed two police officers in the yard. When he looked towards the sea, he saw a body floating in the water. Someone had already alerted police.  The resident said he offered to retrieve the body, but officers told him they were waiting for Scenes of Crime personnel. Concerned that it would drift towards the port or become caught in the mangroves, he used a stick and a line to bring it closer and secure it while investigators carried out their work. The body was later removed from the water.  Initial information suggested that Franklin may have drowned, but the cause of death has not been confirmed. Police continue to investigate.