Three-Year-Old Child Found Drowned in Punta Gorda Tragedy

A tragic incident in southern Belize has left a family and community in mourning following the drowning of a three-year-old child in Punta Gorda Town yesterday afternoon.  Police say that shortly after midday they received reports of an apparent drowning on Front Street, across from St. Peter Claver School. Officers responded to the area near a wharf along the town’s waterfront where the child had reportedly been discovered in the water.  Authorities have identified the child as three-year-old Asher Mejia. Initial investigations indicate that the toddler had reportedly wandered away from his home earlier that morning. Police say that around eleven o’clock, his mother had sent one of his older brothers to purchase food items from a nearby shop. During that time, Asher reportedly went outside unnoticed. When the older sibling returned and the family began looking for him, the child could not be found. Relatives immediately began searching the neighborhood before heading toward the police station to report him missing.  The child’s father, Pastor Mario Mejia, says the family is still struggling to understand how the toddler ended up alone near the waterfront area where he was discovered.

Mario Mejia Sr, Father of Asher Mejia: “We just came out from the church and he went to the Sunday school. After 10:30 the Sunday school kids come out and my wife sent one of them, the oldest one, to buy some ideal and when they came after they bought the ideal they called the little boy to come for his one nowhere to be found. So then we began a search asking the neighbors , nobody saw how he passed and then we were still searching. So when I was, that was less than forty minutes because they came out 10:30 from the church and that’s when he would leave, when the older brother found him that was 12:05.”

Paul Mahung, Love News: Where did they find him ? 

Mario Mejia Sr, Father of Asher Mejia: “By the sea.”

Paul Mahung, Love News: And that is by the fishermen cooperative.

Mario Mejia Sr, Father of Asher Mejia: “Yes. They don’t know how he got in there, how he reached there quick because you see this is just a slight bit.”

Paul Mahung, Love News: This is the first time he’s doing this ? 

Mario Mejia Sr, Father of Asher Mejia: “It’s the first time.”

Paul Mahung, Love News:  And how old is he ? 

Mario Mejia Sr, Father of Asher Mejia: “Three years old.”

Paul Mahung, Love News: So what other information did you get ? Did anybody tell you what happened? He fell in the sea ?

Mario Mejia Sr, Father of Asher Mejia: “We went to ask each hone of the neighbors, none of them saw him pass them. But we were just searching while I was trying to talk to the police and asking them to help us and then we met his older brother who was helping us also to search that he said he found him by the sea, took him out and then when they went and told me that he found him. So instead of going to the police we rushed back to the place but the police had already picked him up and brought him to the hospital.”

Paul Mahung, Love News: But when he came here he was still alive ?

Mario Mejia Sr, Father of Asher Mejia: “He said that he never said he was still alive. He said he vomited, he showed me that he vomited so that’s why we thought he was still alive.”

Paul Mahung, Love News: A short while ago you were called inside with the doctor, they told you what ? He was alive and he just died ? 

Mario Mejia Sr, Father of Asher Mejia: “They said when he reached they said that he was not breathing well.”

Paul Mahung, Love News: And so most likely he was still alive and ….
Mario Mejia Sr, Father of Asher Mejia: “Still alive but they couldn’t save him.”

According to investigators, when they arrived at the seafront, they spoke with Steve Olivia, a truck driver who encountered the search party.  Shortly after, he heard one of the young men shout that the child had been found and then saw one of them emerging with the young boy in his arms. Olivia attempted CPR on the child, but despite those efforts the boy did not respond. The child was transported to the Punta Gorda Hospital where a doctor later pronounced him dead.  Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith explained that there was a delay in reporting the child missing.  She noted that the delay was linked to a previous incident in which the child had wandered off but was later found safe, leading relatives to initially believe he might again be nearby.

ASP Stacy Smith, Belize Police Department: “On Sunday 15th March, 2026 sometime after 12 midday Punta Gorda police were advised of the presence of a young minor namely three year old Asher Mejia who had suffered from a drowning incident near the St.Peter Claver School in that town. Police responded and they ferried the young Mr.Mejia to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Initial investigation suggests that sometime around 11am Mejia is believed to have left his residence and his parents were of the view that he had accompanied siblings of his to a nearby store to purchase snacks. It was only when those siblings returned and Mejia was not along with them that they were aware of his disappearance. Efforts were made to discover him and that concluded when he was found in the sea in the aforementioned area. We have recorded statements and those statements will be forwarded to the office of the Director of Public Prosecution for their guidance. What I will comment on is that the area where the child was found is reported to be some one mile away from his home. So this suggests that there was for a considerable period of time this child walking on the street and that for me presented an opportunity for persons to have intercepted him.”

Police have classified the matter as a death investigation as authorities continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the tragic drowning.  The file, however, will be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions who will then determine if charges will be filed.