| Belize Ripper | |
| Alias: | "Jack the Butcher" |
| Victims: | 5 |
| Beginyear: | 1998 |
| Endyear: | 2000 |
| Country: | Belize |
| States: | Belize District |
| Apprehended: | Never apprehended |
The Belize Ripper is an unidentified Belizean serial killer responsible for the abduction, rape, and murder of five girls in Belize City between 1998 and 2000. Despite extensive investigation, aided by the FBI and Scotland Yard, nobody was ever convicted of the murders, all of which remain unsolved.[1]
On September 8, 1998, 13-year-old Sherilee Nicholas, a fifth-grade student at Wesly Upper School in southern Belize City went missing while walking towards her school.[2] The girl's whereabouts remained unclear until October 9, when her body was found in a pool of water near the George Price Highway. She had been stabbed more than 40 times in the head and chest, with one of her arms nearly cut off and face cut open. The body also showed signs of rape, but most ominously, Nicholas was found to be wearing the clothes of another girl who had gone missing just two days prior to her discovery.[3] That girl was 9-year-old Jay Blades, whose skull and a few bones were recovered six months later.[2]
On March 23, 1999, another young girl, 12-year-old Jackie Fern Malic, vanished during recess while playing on her school's playground.[2] Just two days later, her body was found face down in a puddle along a dirt road bordering the area where Nicholas was found. She had been stabbed multiple times and her left arm severed, with indications that she had been run over by a car.[1]
On June 26, 1999, 8-year-old Erica Wills disappeared, but it went unnoticed for three days, as at the time, she was supposed to stay over at some relatives, who in turn thought that she was at home with her family. On July 18, her skeletal remains were found behind a quarry in Gracie Rock, 20 miles west of Belize City.[3] Her body was identified by her mother via a hair band and a Tweety ring, which Erica always wore.[4] By this time, tensions among the populace were rising and demands for the killer to face justice were high, with the victims' families holding candlelight vigils. The police force issued a curfew to all underage children, but despite their efforts, the Ripper struck one final time.[4]
On February 15, 2000, 14-year-old Noemi Hernandez went missing while doing an errand on Mosul Street. Nine days later, her mutilated body was found on a sandy mound along the Belize River, with multiple stab wounds to the face and neck, and several of her body parts missing. Her father identified the body as that of Noemi by the blue jeans she was wearing.[3]
During the height of the Ripper murders, three other girls were killed in similar circumstances, but were ultimately proven to be unrelated to the case. They were:
The killings caused widespread panic in the tiny nation, with a national curfew imposed and guards posted at school.[4] In the months following the last murder, several incidents were reported of a man driving a red car and wearing a stocking mask who unsuccessfully attempted to attack and kidnap young girls in Belize City. The assailant was never located.[2] In 2000, pathologist Dr. Mario Estradabran announced a harrowing revelation: prior to being brutally murdered, all of the girls were plied with alcohol and drugs, as well as being tortured. The Ripper had used the same instrument in all five cases, and judging by the precision of the cuts made on the bodies, it is assumed that he either has a medical background or at the very least access to surgical utilities.[1] Authorities also believed that there's a possibility that there might be more than one person involved. At present, no new leads have been reported, and the Belize Ripper murders are considered the country's greatest cold case.[1]
In 2022, the Belize National Forensic Science Service opened a laboratory dedicated to solving the country's cold cases. During an interview with the director of the organization, a reporter confirmed that the evidence relating to the Belize Ripper murders still has usable DNA and it will be scanned.[5]
The only person to be charged in any of the killings was a Belize City automechanic by the name of Michael Williams, who was a neighbor of victim Jackie Malic. At the time of her murder, the then-40-year-old Williams was seen offering a ride to Jackie and her sister Adelma, but both declined. After she disappeared, the police questioned Michael and released him, but after her body was found, he was rearrested and charged with the killing. While in jail, Williams was also accused of raping a 13-year-old girl a decade prior.[2]
The authorities' hopes about his guilt were dashed when not long after, Wills disappeared while Williams was still in custody. This, coupled with alibis provided by his clients and a police officer, as well as insufficient evidence, leads to his exoneration for the crimes.[3]
It was suggested that Lonnie David Franklin Jr., an American serial killer connected to the murders of at least ten sex workers in Los Angeles, California over several decades, could be a possible suspect. Known as The Grim Sleeper for an apparent 14-year break between his known murders, lasting from 1988 to 2002, it is claimed that Franklin had connections to the country via his marriage to Sylvia Castillo, who was from Belize. Aside from this, the coincidental break matched the murder spree, one of the victim's aunts allegedly seeing him in Belize City at the time, and the fact that his van, used in one of his proven killings, was later found in Belize, serves as potential circumstantial evidence of his involvement.[6] He was never charged with the killings, and died at the San Quentin State Prison in 2020.[7]