The sudden disappearance and early morning return of Indian Creek’s First Alcalde, Marcus Canti, has sent shockwaves through the village, igniting violent confrontations and exposing deep fractures over power, leadership, and land. What at first looked like a troubling missing-person case is now raising far bigger questions about long standing disputes, Maya land rights, and who really holds authority on the ground. Residents say tensions had been boiling long before Monday night, and Canti’s vanishing may have been the spark that set it all off. Tonight, News Five goes inside Indian Creek Village to unpack what happened, why emotions erupted so quickly, and why this incident may be about much more than one man. Paul Lopez has the story.
Paul Lopez
Paul Lopez, Reporting
“News Five is in Indian Creek Village investigating the disappearance and return of first alcalde Marcus Canti. This community deeply divided between those who support the village council and those who support the alcalde system. So what really happened on Monday evening when first Alcalde Marcus Canti disappeared and what are the circumstances surrounding his return and is this just a symptom of a much larger issue having to do with land and Maya land rights?”
Marcus Canti
Police say First Alcalde Marcus Canti is back home and safe after disappearing from his farm Monday evening. Canti told investigators he was abducted by two men, tied up, and held overnight before being released early this morning on the outskirts of Indian Creek Village. He returned home around three a.m. During his disappearance, tensions flared. Supporters stormed two homes, demanding answers. One group gathered outside the house of Village Chairman Domingo Choc, believing he may have been involved.
Domingo Choc
Domingo Choc, Chairman, Indian Creek Village
“My house was surrounded by a group people, residents of Indian Creek. Who vandalized, stoned with rocks, armed with machetes and slingshots and broke into my residence.”
The group also targeted the home of Deputy Alcalde Manuel Ack.
Manuel Ack
Manuel Ack, Deputy Alcalde, Indian Creek Village
“After they leave here I see people bunching going down the road and they took to my road and went to my house calling my name and saying where is the deputy alcalde. The first alcalde has been killed and this alcalde is going to be dead now. I was to go and defend and my family, but my neighbor said don’t move otherwise they would crowd you. So I left my wife at home with seven kids, small kids.”
Ack says the angry group threw sticks and stones at his home, destroyed his wife’s cacao beans that were being prepared for sale, and ultimately caused damage to his property. Soon after, police identified Ack and Choc, along with three other village men, as the main suspects in the First Alcalde’s disappearance.
Domingo Choc
“The police department did not show me a safety regard. Instead I was criminally treated and my rights were violated. I was taken to the police station for safety regard, but instead I went to a cell.”
Manuel Ack
“I never did know that I was going to get arrested. I was to go make a report and the guys they are doing damage for my property they are left with nothing. They are left to be free. But I am the one get detained.”
The tension in Indian Creek didn’t begin Monday night. It’s rooted in a long fight over land and control. In 2015, the Caribbean Court of Justice affirmed Maya customary land rights as constitutional, a ruling that raised hopes across villages like Indian Creek. But nearly ten years later, the law to enforce it still isn’t in place. As the government works through that process, frustration has grown. For many residents, this week’s unrest reflects years of unresolved conflict finally boiling over.
Louis Zabaneh
Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs
“That is yes going very slowly. In recent months it picked up momentum, in fact on the twenty-fourth of this month we have a meeting scheduled with the review panel, which is the pen ultimate part of the road map.”
But without that law in place, villages like Indian Creek have been left to navigate a legal gray area, fueling clashes between village councils, alcaldes, and private landowners over who gets to use the land and how.
Domingo Choc
“Each one of us were questioned and then we have proof, we showed them proof that all of us were innocent. So that is why we were released.”
Tonight, Canti is safe and receiving treatment at a medical facility.
Manuel Ack
“I happy because I told my people and the villagers and pastor for us to pray. We had a prayer last night and I am happy with that because only one God is above to help everybody. I am happy, the man is alive and we had nothing to do with that.”
Police say First Alcalde Marcus Canti is safe and now receiving medical care, but in Indian Creek Village, the tension is far from over and the questions are still hanging in the air. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.
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