Nearly three days after two recreational fishermen went missing en route from Caye Caulker to Belize’s mainland, the multi-agency search effort has concluded in heartbreak, with the body of 52-year-old Samuel Chi recovered eight miles north of Belize City early on the morning of August 4, 2026. The grim discovery came just 24 hours after Chi’s sailing companion, Albert Vaccaro, was pulled alive from open water, suffering from severe dehydration that has so far prevented him from giving investigators a full account of the incident.
The joint search operation, led by the Belize Coast Guard and supported by local police and family members, spotted Chi’s body around 9 a.m. near Hick’s Caye, approximately four miles southwest of where Vaccaro was rescued the previous day. According to Lieutenant Mark Choc, Operations Manager for the Belize Coast Guard, Chi’s uncle, who had joined the search effort, first identified the body, which had likely been submerged for several hours before resurfacing. The remains were transported to Belize Coast Guard headquarters before being turned over to the national police’s Scenes of Crime unit, which has taken lead on the ongoing investigation.
The two men set off on their journey from Caye Caulker on Sunday evening, and contact was lost shortly after. Chi’s wife, Kristy Chi, who was out of the country when the pair went missing, recalled the slow creep of fear that turned into devastating certainty. “He was updating me on his day and their catch, then around 7:15 p.m. Belize time, messages went unanswered. I didn’t panic at first — that’s not unusual for him out on the water — but then Vaccaro’s wife reached out around 10 p.m. saying they hadn’t arrived yet. That’s when I knew something was wrong. After 15 years with Samuel, I know when something is off,” she shared in a phone interview.
A key point of focus for investigators is the vessel the two men were using, which remains missing despite continued search efforts by the Coast Guard. Choc explained that the small craft was designed exclusively for river use, not open ocean travel, making it unseaworthy for the crossing between Caye Caulker and the mainland. “That in itself is a very likely contributing factor to whatever incident occurred,” Choc noted. Weather conditions are also being investigated as a potential catalyst; the area where the two men were located is commonly used by small vessels seeking shelter from poor conditions, rather than the designated route used by larger, ocean-going craft.
For Chi’s family, the recovery of his body brings a small measure of closure after days of agonizing uncertainty, but the loss has left them utterly devastated. A lifelong recreational fisherman, Chi leaves behind two children and his wife of 15 years. “We were in the best place of our lives, doing exactly what we loved. I can’t even put what I’ve felt these past days into words,” Kristy Chi said. “After last night, I prayed that if it was God’s will, I would get my husband back so I could tell my children what happened to their father. Now we just need answers.”
Authorities have not yet ruled out any potential causes of the incident, including foul play, and are asking any members of the public with information about the crossing, the missing vessel, or the events of Sunday night to come forward to assist the investigation. While Vaccaro survived his ordeal at sea, he remains in recovery and has not yet been able to give a formal statement to police, leaving key details of what unfolded still unconfirmed.