Suspects detained in brutal double murder of former US marine and his Canadian girlfriend after their strangled bodies were found in Belize with duct tape around their wrists

  • Drew DeVoursney, 36, and Francesca Matus, 52, were found dead near Corozal, Belize on Monday
  • Their bodies showed signs of strangulation and their wrists were duct-taped 
  • Two suspects have been detained and questioned over their brutal murders
  • Police are investigating theories including robbery, jealousy and a possible real estate deal that may have gone sour
  • Authorities say Matus had been threatened in the days before they were killed

Two suspects have been detained in Belize over the brutal double murder of a former US marine vet and his Canadian girlfriend.

Drew DeVoursney, 36, and Francesca Matus, 52, had been missing for almost a week in Corozal, Belize when police discovered them dead in a sugar cane field on Monday. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Their bodies showed signs of being strangled and their wrists were duct-taped.

DeVoursney's mother Char told WSB-TV she had been notified by authorities on Wednesday that two suspects had been detained and questioned for about two hours.   

Local media in Belize reported that authorities were working on a number of theories including robbery, jealousy and a possible real estate deal that may have gone sour. 

Dennis Arnold, commanding officer in the City of Corozal, said they were investigating some threats that were made against Matus. 

Arnold said Matus, a real estate investor and mother of two, did not report any threats to police and would not confirm if they were death threats.

'Just open threats. I believe if a report of that threat to Miss Francesca (had been made), maybe she would be alive today,' Arnold said.  

He said he believed members of the tight-knit expat community in Corozal knew exactly what was happening as Arnold suggested the killings may have been carried out by foreigners. 

An autopsy revealed the victims had been strangled. Police have ruled at theft as a motive, and are exploring previous threats made against Matus (above)
Drew DeVoursney
Francesca Matus

The couple had been dating for six months after meeting in Belize. DeVoursney was due to return to his family in Atlanta this month, while Matus was supposed to fly home to Ontario on April 26 after living in the country for the winter. 

They were last seen leaving Scotty's Bar and Grill in Corozal near where Matus lived a week before they were found dead.

When police came across the decomposing bodies, DeVoursney was found on top of Matus with their wrists duct-taped. 

The alarm was raised when a friend of Matus came to pick her up and take her to the airport on April 26. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Her car was found abandoned in a sugar cane field near the village of Paraiso on Sunday and the couple's bodies were recovered the following day. 

'When I arrived there to pick her up, the gate was closed and the car was gone,' her friend Joe Milholen told CBC News.

DeVoursney enlisted in the US military after the 9/11 terror attacks and served two tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

His mother said he was overcoming post-traumatic stress disorder from his time abroad. 

 

 

 

 

Most Read News

Could these bombshell secret recordings FINALLY land Post Office bosses in the dock? Tapes show...

Is this Britain's most bitter neighbour dispute? Father-of-five who was jailed and handed £475,000...

50 Cent's baby momma Daphne Joy is named as Diddy's 'SEX WORKER' in bombshell lawsuit from...

UK weather: Storm Nelson batters the country with map showing where 70mph winds, heavy rain, hail...

The Gogglebox stars lost over the years: Famous faces on Channel 4 hit no longer with us remembered...

Primary school 'on lockdown' as armed police descend - with parents told to take students to main...

Georgia Harrison bravely condemns Stephen Bear's 'awful crime' outside court - as shamed reality...

Man is arrested over death of Gogglebox and CBB star George Gilbey: Police detain man in his 40s on...

October 7 terrorist's shocking video testimony is revealed by Israel as he describes sexually...

RICHARD EDEN: ​The very telling reason why Harry and Meghan should now seek forgiveness from...

Shocked doctor discovers 30-YEAR build-up of smegma under the foreskin of married man who was...

Stephen Bear protests his innocence at revenge porn confiscation hearing in women's loafers: Ex...

'It's a great sadness that I cannot be with you all': Charles vows to continue serving 'with my...

Sam Bankman-Fried sentencing: FTX fraudster vows to appeal his prison sentences after he is jailed...

Major incident declared as three inmates and three staff at HMP Lewes are rushed to hospital after...

Storm Nelson's 70mph gales batter Britain: Terrifying moment easyJet plane aborts Gatwick landing at...