In a landmark cross-border law enforcement success, security forces in Belize have rescued a 14-year-old Guatemalan girl who was held captive for months after disappearing from her home region. The minor went missing from Guatemala’s northern Petén department in January 2026, before being located in southern Belize as part of the coordinated mission dubbed “Operation Safe Return”.
On April 21, tactical teams from the Belize Police Department and the elite Belize Special Assignment Group (BSAG) launched a pre-dawn raid on a rural farm located just outside San Roman Village in Stann Creek District. It was there that officers located and safely extracted the kidnapped teen from captivity. Elton Bennett, Chief Executive Officer of Belize’s Ministry of Home Affairs, characterized the operation as a major victory for disciplined, intelligence-led policing, emphasizing that the successful outcome depended on avoiding hasty action.
“Outstanding work was done at every step of this mission,” Bennett stated in a press briefing following the rescue. “Information was managed carefully, intelligence was verified thoroughly, and we refused to act prematurely. The BSAG team carried out deliberate, meticulous planning, built a full picture of the site through sustained surveillance, and mapped out every possible course of action before moving in. The fact that they were able to bring this child out safely speaks to their extraordinary training and professionalism.”
Despite the successful rescue, the operation leaves one key objective unmet: the prime suspect, identified by police as Jose Gilberto Duarte, managed to evade capture during the raid, fleeing the property before officers secured the area. Law enforcement officers did recover a loaded firearm left behind by the fleeing suspect, but the manhunt remains ongoing.
Bennett confirmed that Belizean security agencies are prioritizing the recapture of Duarte, deploying extra resources to track him down across the country and coordinating with Guatemalan border authorities to prevent him from fleeing across the shared border. Even with the suspect still at large, Bennett noted that the operation’s core goal — returning the teenage victim to safety — has been achieved, a outcome that offers a significant win for cross-border anti-kidnapping cooperation.
“Our priority will always be the safety of the victim,” Bennett added. “We are very happy that this child is now free, and that is what matters most. We will not stop searching for the suspect, and we will do everything in our power to take him into custody and hold him accountable for his crimes.”
This rescue highlights growing collaboration between Belize and Guatemala to combat cross-border human trafficking and kidnapping, criminal activities that disproportionately affect vulnerable communities in the Petén region, which shares a long, porous border with Belize.