Police have concluded that there was no foul play in the death of a Canadian man whose body was found aboard a drifting catamaran in Belizean waters on March 11th. The deceased has been identified as 72-year-old Thomas David Harman. According to police, Harman and his wife were sailing from Guatemala to the Cayman Islands when the incident occurred. Reports indicate that Harman climbed to the top of the mast to fix a sail, but fell and struck his head, leaving him unconscious.
A distress call from the catamaran “Melynda” prompted a rescue effort by the Belize Rescue Team. Authorities received information from a passing cruise ship, which stopped to render assistance after encountering Harman’s wife aboard the vessel. A police report stated that she initially informed responders that her husband had suffered a heart attack and died the previous morning.
The catamaran was later located drifting toward the Belizean coastline near Caye Caulker. The Belize Coast Guard was contacted after blood was observed inside the vessel. Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of National Defence and Border Security, Francis Usher, said the vessel was towed to Caye Caulker and later transported to Belize City along with Harman’s body.
On March 16th, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Stacy Smith told the media that no foul play is suspected. “The body of Harman underwent an autopsy examination, and the findings concluded that he died as a consequence of multiple blunt force traumatic injuries due to a fall from height,” she explained.
ASP Smith added that the case does not fall within Belize’s jurisdiction. “Nonetheless, we have done our due diligence in terms of securing and processing the scene and obtaining relevant evidential material,” Smith said. She noted that if any authority with jurisdiction chooses to pursue further investigation, the Belize Police Department will provide the necessary information.
Harman’s son traveled to Belize to oversee the investigation and arrange for his father’s remains to be returned to Canada.
