Suspects in Alberta missionary’s death in Belize found murdered:report

EDMONTON – A TV station in the Central American country of Belize is reporting that two men wanted in the murder of a 64-year-old Canadian missionary have been found dead.

News 5 in Belize City said Wednesday that the suspects in Brian Townsend’s death were murdered in separate incidents.

The TV station says Raulito Balona was shot to death in the village of Arenal in the last few days, and his brother, Marlon, was found Jan. 19 on a feeder road with neck and chest wounds.

It also said the two lived next door to Townsend in the small village of Valley of Peace in Belize, where Townsend spent the last nine years doing missionary work.

Townsend, formerly of Edmonton, was believed to have been abducted from his home on Christmas Eve, and two days later, his body was found in Guatemala, about 15 minutes from the border.

Police believe there was a confrontation in Townsend’s home and he was robbed of clothing, a laptop and his Chevy Silverado truck.

On Jan. 19, hundreds of people packed into a church in Lacombe, Alta., to pay their final respects to Townsend.