The staff of the Belize Central Prison is mourning the loss of one of their own who tragically drowned on Monday during a family trip in the Gracie Rock area. Late on Wednesday evening, Police confirmed the identity of the individual as Denton Rivas, 29, a prison guard from Hattieville Village. Rivas’s body was pulled from the Sibun River around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 24, approximately three days after he went underwater and did not resurface. A police report confirmed that there were no signs of injuries on Rivas’s body and that authorities do not suspect foul play. The body was extracted from the location and taken to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Morgue where it awaits a post mortem examination. Police say that around 7:00 on Monday, March 22, they were informed of a possible drowning in the Gracie Rock area near mile 21 on the George Price Highway and were told that Rivas had gone out to the middle of the river to swim and was not seen since. Authorities say initial joint searches with Rivas’ family members, the police, and the Coast Guard had proven fruitless. They explained that it was not until Wednesday when a search conducted by a group of family members produced results. The CEO of the Belize Central Prison Virgilio Murillo told The Reporter that Rivas had been employed as a prison guard since February of this year and was a stellar employee.
