A 20-year-old South African woman was found dead on board a luxury super yacht in the Bahamas, and a fellow crew member is said to have been charged with her murder.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) said that the woman was discovered on July 3 with visible injuries in the ship’s engine room, while it was moored on a marina for Harbor Island. Paige Bell, a stewardess from Johannesburg, was identified by her family on social media as the victim.
Authorities said that Bell was missing shortly before 1 p.m. when officers arrived on the spot, they found her not responding, together with a 39-year-old man who “suffered from serious injuries to his arms”, of which the police think it was the result of a suicide attempt.
A local doctor declared Bell dead on board, according to the RBPF declaration that was publicly placed on 3 July.
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Paige Bell, 20, from Johannesburg Zuid -Africa, it was discovered that not responded on board a luxury yacht off the coast of Harbor Island in the Bahamas. (Crew & Concierge via Facebook)
The man was later identified in the court as Brigido Muñoz, a Mexican national and engineer on board the ship, according to Our News Bahamas. The police said that Muñoz was taken into custody, treated in a medical clinic and accused of murder on Wednesday 9 July in the Magistraathof in Nassau. He was denied bail and was planned to return to the court on November 20, the outlet reported.
“This evening, mum and dad … Fly to the Bahamas to start with the painful process to not only bring their baby girl home, but also looking for justice for the monster that took her life,” her sister Chelsey wrote in a public post shared on Facebook on Sunday.
In a separate family declaration, the family members of Bell confirmed her identity and described her death as ‘brutal’.
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Bell, 20, would have become 21 only 11 days after her death. She was lovingly called “paigey” by her family. (Crew & Concierge via Facebook)
“It is with broken hearts that we share the devastating news that the life of our beautiful Paigey brutally taken from us,” said the family on July 4. “We will not leave a stone untouched until the culprits are brought to court.”
Harbor Island, where the yacht was moored at the moment of the incident, is a small but exclusive destination about 60 miles east of Nassau, known for attracting celebrities and super yachts.
Bell had previously worked on the Motor Yacht Sweet Emocean, where former crew members described her as “more than a teammate – she was family.”
Bell had previously served as stewardess on board the Sweet Emocean. (Chelsey Jacobs via Facebook)
A GoFundMe page made by colleagues and friends has raised More than $ 42,000 To help the Bell family with travel and legal costs and to pick up her body. According to fundraising, Bell would have become 21 on July 14. In honor of her, her mother asked supporters to eat Red Velvet Cake, the favorite of Paige, and to share a photo for commemoration.
