Police Treat Death of Missing Dangriga Driver as Murder

Police have now officially classified the death of 23-year-old Steve Lewis Junior as a suspected murder, following the discovery of his body last Friday in Silk Grass Village, Stann Creek District.  Lewis, a delivery driver from Dangriga, had been reported missing earlier in the week after he reportedly went to carry out a job in the Silk Grass area and was not heard from again. His disappearance prompted a search effort involving family members, friends, and police, which ultimately ended in tragedy when his body was found in a creek along a farm road off the Southern Highway.  At today’s weekly police press briefing, Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith confirmed that investigators are now treating the case as a homicide, based on initial findings at the scene.

Stacy Smith, Assistant Superintendent of Police: “Police are investigating the murder of Steve Lewis a 24 year old Belizean delivery man of Dangriga Town. On Friday 17 April 2026 at approximately 8:30 am police were called to an area off a feeder road off the Thomas Vincent Ramos Highway in the vicinity of Silk Grass Village. The officers when going down that feeder road they encountered the decomposing body of Lewis. Lewis was reported missing on 14 April 2026 when his common law wife visited the Dangriga police station and reported that she last saw him at around 8 am on 13 April and at that time he had departed their residence en route to doing a delivery. Police are seeking one male person in relation to this investigation. I am not sure if the autopsy has been conducted already. It usually is when the body is in an advanced state of decomposition however I can say that we suspect the cause to be a gunshot injury given that an expended shell was found on the scene. What we do know the last interaction with Mr. Lewis and his family members he had indicated at that time that he was departing on that run so certainly we are following up on the level of communication that he had during that time to see how that can assist with the investigation.” 

Police say investigations into Lewis Junior’s murder are ongoing, as they work to determine the circumstances surrounding his final movements and identify those responsible. At this time, no arrests have been reported.