The normally quiet agricultural community of San Lazaro Village in the Orange Walk District has been left reeling from a shocking act of violence that left a 68-year-old local man dead. According to law enforcement officials, the body of Virginio Carillo, a long-time resident and farmer, was discovered on the morning of July 13, 2026, abandoned near a rural feeder road adjacent to local cane fields, bearing multiple visible chop wounds.
The grim discovery was made by a passerby who was traveling to their own early shift working in the cane fields, who immediately contacted local police to report the finding. Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero, the head of Belize’s National Crimes Investigation Branch, outlined the preliminary details of the ongoing investigation in a press briefing following the incident.
“Around 9:30 this morning, police received an emergency call directing us to San Lazaro Village, with reports of an unidentified body located off of a cane field access road,” Romero explained to reporters on site. “When officers arrived, they located the deceased male, who has since been formally identified as 68-year-old Virginio Carillo. He had sustained several chop wounds, and our forensics team is currently processing the crime scene to gather potential evidence. This is an active investigation that just unfolded this morning, and we are still working to piece together all the details.”
When pressed by reporters on early speculation about potential contributing factors – including questions around whether alcohol use may have played a role in the incident – Romero confirmed that investigators have not found any preliminary evidence to support that theory. He also clarified that Carillo had not been reported missing prior to the discovery, as he had left his home earlier that morning en route to his own farm, a routine trip that ended in his death.
In the wake of the brutal killing, both the Ministry of Local Government and the San Lazaro Village Council have issued official statements extending condolences to Carillo’s family, friends, and the broader community that has been shaken by the violence.
This report is adapted from a transcribed evening television newscast covering the developing incident, with all official statements verified and reproduced accurately for online readers.