On Thursday, April 11th, based on the advice of the Director of the Public Prosecution Office (DPP), San Pedro resident Maynor Rene Ancona, 41, was formally arrested and charged with the crime of Manslaughter by Negligence in the death of American national Jennifer Lynn Griffith. The 46-year-old island resident died on Sunday, April 7th, after she was hit in the head with a conch shell during an altercation the day before at a bar ten miles north of San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye.
Initially, police detained two persons following the brawl at the bar. The decision to lay the charge on Ancona took a couple of days after the incident as police investigated the matter carefully based on reports of the tragic incident. Commissioner of Police (ComPol) Chester Williams sought the assistance of the DPP’s office. On Monday, April 8th, the ComPol provided more details on what happened. He said that on Saturday, April 6th, San Pedro Police were on northern Ambergris Caye when they encountered a group of people engaged in a fight. According to him, the police ended up detaining the persons who were involved, including Griffith, who displayed injuries. Griffith was taken to the San Pedro Police Station, where she was issued a medical form for her injuries. She was then taken to the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic II for treatment while the other persons were detained at the police station pending investigation. At the polyclinic, Griffith reportedly refused medical treatment and self-discharged herself and went home. Police say later that night, she returned to the medical center, where she was treated again but decided to go home.
On Sunday at 10:30 AM, Griffith was rushed to the hospital by the Rickilee Rescue and Response medical team but was pronounced dead on arrival at 10:33AM. A post-mortem examination will determine the cause of death. Conflicting reports claimed Griffith’s head injuries were from a traffic accident she experienced at the said bar. According to the police report, Griffith was on a golf cart along with her partner when they collided into a building, and it is believed she also hit her head. It was that collision that eventually led to the brawl where Griffith was also stoned with a conch shell, causing her head injuries.
Griffith’s death has shocked many who knew her. She is remembered as a loving and active member of the island.
