A Vancouver woman was found stabbed to death earlier this week at the spa she owned in Belize, local police say.
The body of 65-year-old Marty Thorne was discovered on Nov. 10 shortly before 8 a.m. CST at RawSpa, a wellness resort near Bullet Tree Village in the Cayo District of Belize. The spa is located approximately 40 kilometres southwest of Belmopan, the capital city of the Central American nation.
One person is in custody in connection with the case, and investigators are looking for two more suspects, the Belize Police Department said in a statement to the media, noting that Thorne may have known the suspects.
Police initially were investigating the possibility of a burglary gone wrong but later said only Thorne’s cellphone was missing, according to local media reports.
Belize Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith said one of Thorne’s employees found her dead.
The employee “reported to police that upon visiting that area, he… called out for Miss Thorne, but was not able to locate her,” Smith said during a Nov. 10 press conference. “He made further checks on the property, and that is when she was located in the yard with visible injuries to the body.”
The scene was processed by police and the body was taken to the morgue at San Ignacio Community Hospital, police told the media.
While police initially did not release the cause of death, they later confirmed to the media that Thorne sustained “multiple stab wounds.”
Thorne had resided in Belize since early adulthood, but lived in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. She returned to the Central American country earlier this fall, according to media reports.
Police said Thorne’s two sons, currently living in Vancouver, were notified earlier this week about their mother’s death.
The Epoch Times contacted Belize police for an update on the case but did not receive a response before publication.
Global Affairs Canada said it has been informed about the death of a Canadian citizen in Belize.
“Consular officials are in contact with local authorities to gather additional information and with the family to provide consular assistance,” Global Affairs said in a media statement. “Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed.”
Local media described Thorne as a popular and well-known figure in Bullet Tree Village and several friends took to Facebook to mourn her death this week.
One friend said in a Nov. 10 post that Thorne would be “sadly” missed by “Everyone, you gave us so much love. We all loved you.”
Thorne’s Facebook page says she went to Moscrop Secondary School in Burnaby, B.C., before studying at West Coast College of Massage Therapy in New Westminster.
