Police Dismiss Reports Missing Canadian National Found Dead

Police have dismissed reports circulating on social media claiming that missing Canadian national Alfred Gottfried Pleil has been found dead, confirming that those reports are false.  Pleil, a 64-year-old Canadian national of Cattle Landing Village, remains missing, and investigations into his disappearance are ongoing. He was last seen on Thursday, January 15, and a public alert had been issued through Crime Stoppers Belize appealing for information on his whereabouts.  Police say they are aware of unverified claims suggesting that Pleil’s body was discovered in the VOA area of Punta Gorda, but authorities stress that no such discovery has been made, and the missing person case remains active.  ASP Hilberto Romero says police continue to follow all available leads and are urging the public to rely only on official information as investigations proceed.

Hilberto Romero, Assistant Superintendent of Police: “We are following up on a missing person report of Alfred Pliel a Canadian National. We received information a week ago that he had not gone to eat where he usually dines. He hasn’t been seen in Punta Gorda. We are making checks, doing searches, but so far he has not been found. He has not been found at this time, the only thing we found was his car in Punta Gorda. Well he used to hang out with some friends in Punta Gorda, those persons have been interviewed but we have no leads as to his whereabouts at this time.”

Police are once again appealing to anyone who may have seen Alfred Pleil or has information that could assist investigators to contact Crime Stoppers at 922, use the P3 Tips App, or report to the nearest police station. Authorities caution the public against spreading unverified information, noting that false reports can cause unnecessary distress to families and interfere with ongoing investigations./