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A Vancouver woman was found dead at a spa in Belize on Monday morning after being stabbed, local police confirmed.
Marty Thorne's body was discovered shortly before 8 a.m. local time at the RawSpa resort near Bullet Tree Village.
Spa is located approximately 100 km southwest of Belize and 37 km southwest of Belmopan, the capital of the Central American country.
A spokesperson for the Belize Police Department told CBC News that a caretaker arrived to find blood in the lodge (small hut) at RawSpa, and police found Thorne's body about 50 meters from a river on the property.
One person has been detained in this case, and police are looking for two more suspects.
The representative said they believe Thorne may have known the suspects, but only her cellphone was missing.
They have not released an exact motive or cause of death pending an autopsy.
Police say Thorne has lived in Belize since she was a teenager and returned to Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. She returned to the Central American country about six weeks ago.
Authorities said they notified Thorne's two sons, who live in Vancouver and whose father is Belizean.
One of Thorne's sons responded to a CBC News reporter when he contacted him on Facebook, saying he was still in shock and would check with his family before agreeing to an interview.
A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada said it was aware of the death of a Canadian citizen in Belize and offered condolences to his family.
“Consular officials are in contact with local authorities to gather additional information and with the family to provide consular assistance,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“For privacy reasons, no further information can be released.”
