Car of Missing Couple Found in Belize Sugarcane Field

The car of a Canadian woman who has been missing in Belize since last week along with her American boyfriend was found abandoned Sunday in a sugarcane field. CBC News reports that Francesca Matus, 52, was last seen with boyfriend Drew DeVoursney, 36, leaving a bar in Corozal Tuesday. Matus’ white Isuzu Rodeo was located by police Sunday 15 miles away with no trace of the couple. Local authorities plan to search the area today with police dogs. The family of DeVoursney, a veteran, tells WSB-TV Atlanta he met Matus on his extended Belize holiday two to three months ago, and that the former marine has always checked in frequently, even while he was away on active duty.

“That’s the hardest part, is just that we don’t know anything,” DeVoursney's mother says. “We don’t know where he is, what’s going on.” Matus was scheduled to leave the country on Wednesday, but when her friend arrived to drive her to the airport, she was not home and DeVoursney’s motorcycle was still parked in in the driveway. DeVoursney was scheduled to leave the country May 4. Both their passports were found, and none of their personal items appeared to be missing. DeVoursney's brother has expressed frustration at trying to coordinate from afar and plans to leave for Belize this week. Friends of DeVoursney set up a GoFundMe page to help fund their search, which has received $4,300 at the time this article was posted. (More missing person stories.)