Men who found King’s body recount a tragic incident

Six-year-old King Shakel Wade was found dead in a canal near Fairweather Street and South Creek in Belize City on Tuesday evening. He had been in the care of a babysitter when he disappeared. After an hour-long search, his body was recovered from the canal and taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The men searching for his body spoke to News 5 today. Myers told News 5, “When I see everyone start jumping in the water, I say, ‘Just let me go.’ When I jump in the water “When I go to the bottom, I feel the foot.”

Another man who jumped into the canal is Arnold Smith. According to Smith: “The first thing that came to my mind was to go home, without hesitation, take off the clothes I had put on and jump into the water. “Don’t worry about what’s down there is; Just jump into the water and try to save the little boy.”

The men were assisted by Noel Avila, a Coast Guard officer. Avila told News 5, “That’s when my parental instincts kicked in and I told the chief I was going into the water. Knowing the debris and all the stuff in the water, I went in anyway. I had my tennis shoes on, you know, and I started swinging. A technique we use.”

Ashton Thurton also jumped into the canal to help with the search.

King’s body was then transported to KHMH, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

According to police, authorities responded to the scene around 5:45 p.m. after receiving a report that a child had fallen into the canal. Upon arrival, officers spoke with 56-year-old babysitter Jennifer Fitzgibbon, who stated Wade had been sitting on an old refrigerator outside her home while caring for other children. At around 3:30 p.m., one of Wade’s siblings went looking for him and was informed by a minor that Wade had fallen into the water.

A search for the boy ensued and at around 4.30pm Wade’s slipper was found near the canal. His lifeless body was recovered at 6:15 p.m

Other people from the area helped with the search.

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