Family to hold memorial service for slain superyacht stewardess Paige Bell
In a social media post, Bell's heartbroken parents John and Michelle Bell announced the memorial service will take place at the Open Skies Church in Kloof followed by a reception at the Kloof Country Club.
'Please join us in honouring the life and memory of our precious daughter and sister Paigey whose time with us was heartbreakingly brief, yet infinitely beautiful and filled with so much love laughter and joy. Thank you for holding Paigey and our family in your hearts and for walking beside us in this devastating time of sorrow and remembrance of our precious baby girl. We are truly grateful for each act of kindness shown,' they said.
Bell, a former Hillcrest High School pupil, was killed aboard superyacht Far from It, which costs R3.5m a week to charter, on July 3 days before her 21st birthday.
According to global superyacht authority Boat International, police arrested a fellow crew member, Mexican engineer Brigido Munoz, 39, who was found with severe injuries to his arms near Bell's body. She was partially undressed with her throat slashed and defensive wounds on her body. Police are investigating a case of murder and attempted suicide.
The global yachting industry is reeling from Bell's murder and racing to tighten safety measures.
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The Herald
5 days ago
- The Herald
Family to hold memorial service for slain superyacht stewardess Paige Bell
Last week, Capt Douglas Meire, a prominent voice in the industry, called for a mass online meeting to force change. 'Paige Bell was part of the yachting family and the yachting community and she's gone. She was murdered. I hope that guy rots in jail. As time goes by things go to the wayside. I think we need to jump on this now.' Meire offered his platform, Yacht Industry News, and sponsors to kick-start the online conversation. 'We can discuss what crew and crew agencies can do to change this. We can get crew agents on. We can get brokers on. We can get captains on. We could all come together as a community and make plans. 'We can make real changes. This is unbelievable. I've been doing this 35 years and I've seen a lot. I've lost a lot of people. Never like this. I've lost a lot of friends, but never like this. We need to do something.' Bell's parents, who flew to the Bahamas 'to begin the painful process of not only bringing their baby girl home but also seeking justice for the monster who took her life', and the owners of Far From It issued a joint statement a week ago. They thanked the global yachting community for honouring Bell on what would have been the biggest 21st birthday celebrations with red velvet cake and her family on July 14. 'On behalf of the Bell family and the FFI team, we are at a loss for words to express our gratitude for the incredible outpouring of love and support shown on July 14. The compassion from the global yachting community has been overwhelming. Paige was a beautiful, bold and fiery spirit — a true firecracker who made sure everyone knew her 21st birthday was coming. For weeks she radiated excitement, planning her big day and insisting July 14 would go off with a bang. 'Captains, that bang — the celebration you all created — far exceeded anything we could have imagined. Your tribute, unity and love honoured Paige in a way she would have adored. There is no doubt she would have been ecstatic to know her yachting family around the world celebrated with her,' they said. Meanwhile, the man charged with Bell's murder is expected to make his next court appearance in November. TimesLIVE
TimesLIVE
5 days ago
- TimesLIVE
Family to hold memorial service for slain superyacht stewardess Paige Bell
A memorial service to honour the life of Paige Bell, who was murdered on a yacht in the Bahamas earlier this month, will take place in Durban on July 31. In a social media post, Bell's heartbroken parents John and Michelle Bell announced the memorial service will take place at the Open Skies Church in Kloof followed by a reception at the Kloof Country Club. 'Please join us in honouring the life and memory of our precious daughter and sister Paigey whose time with us was heartbreakingly brief, yet infinitely beautiful and filled with so much love laughter and joy. Thank you for holding Paigey and our family in your hearts and for walking beside us in this devastating time of sorrow and remembrance of our precious baby girl. We are truly grateful for each act of kindness shown,' they said. Bell, a former Hillcrest High School pupil, was killed aboard superyacht Far from It, which costs R3.5m a week to charter, on July 3 days before her 21st birthday. According to global superyacht authority Boat International, police arrested a fellow crew member, Mexican engineer Brigido Munoz, 39, who was found with severe injuries to his arms near Bell's body. She was partially undressed with her throat slashed and defensive wounds on her body. Police are investigating a case of murder and attempted suicide. The global yachting industry is reeling from Bell's murder and racing to tighten safety measures.
Eyewitness News
7 days ago
- Eyewitness News
Ecuador's biggest drug lord 'Fito' pleads not guilty in US
NEW YORK - Notorious Ecuadoran drug trafficker Adolfo Macias, alias "Fito," pleaded not guilty to narcotics charges in a US court Monday, a month after he was recaptured following a 2024 escape from a maximum security penitentiary. The leader of the Los Choneros gang delivered his "not guilty" plea in a Brooklyn federal court through his lawyer and with the help of an interpreter, an AFP correspondent saw. He denied seven charges, including drug trafficking and arms trafficking, punishable by 20 years to life imprisonment. "As alleged, the defendant served for years as the principal leader of Los Choneros, a notoriously violent transnational criminal organization, and was a ruthless and infamous drug and firearms trafficker," US attorney Joseph Nocella said in a statement ahead of Monday's hearing. "The defendant and his co-conspirators flooded the United States and other countries with drugs and used extreme measures of violence in their quest for power and control." The US Attorney's Office filed charges in April against Macias on suspicion of cocaine distribution, conspiracy and firearms violations, including weapons smuggling. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that the defendant "will soon face justice in the US for leading a vicious transnational criminal organization." The flight transporting Macias from Ecuador landed in New York state late Sunday. The former taxi driver turned crime boss agreed in a Quito court last week to be extradited to the United States to face the charges. GANG WARFARE Macias is the first Ecuadoran extradited by his country since a new measure was written into law last year, after a referendum in which President Daniel Noboa sought approval to intensify his war on criminal gangs. Ecuador, once a peaceful haven between the world's two top cocaine exporters, Colombia and Peru, has seen violence erupt in recent years as enemy gangs with ties to Mexican and Colombian cartels vie for control. Soon after Macias escaped from prison in January 2024, Noboa declared Ecuador to be in a state of "internal armed conflict" and ordered the military and tanks into the streets to "neutralize" the gangs. The move was criticized by human rights organizations. Los Choneros has ties to Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, Colombia's Gulf Clan - the world's largest cocaine exporter - and Balkan mafias, according to the Ecuadorian Organized Crime Observatory. Macias's escape from prison prompted widespread violence and a massive military and police recapture operation, including government "wanted" posters offering $1 million for information leading to his arrest. On 25 June, Macias was found hiding in a bunker concealed under floor tiles in a luxury home in the fishing port of Manta, the center of operations for Los Choneros. Noboa declared he would be extradited, "the sooner the better." "We will gladly send him and let him answer to the North American law," Noboa told CNN at the time. More than 70 percent of all cocaine produced in the world now passes through Ecuador's ports, according to government data. In 2024, the country seized a record 294 tons of drugs, mainly cocaine.
