17-07-2025
Bahamian police investigate murder of yacht crewmember. Vessel now in Fort Lauderdale
Bahamian authorities have charged the engineer of a luxury yacht with the murder of a crew member colleague who was found stabbed to death in the vessel's engine room while it was docked in Eleuthera earlier this month.
Bahamian police say the woman, 20-year-old Paige Bell, from South Africa, was reported missing for a short period of time before being found dead on the 142-foot yacht, Far From It, while it was in Harbour Island, Eleuthera, on July 3.
Charged with her death is 39-year-old Brigido Muños, a Mexican national who also worked on the vessel, according to Our News Bahamas.
Per the news outlet, a judge denied Muños' bond, and his next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 20.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force said that Muños had 'severe' wounds to his arms when they found him, and investigators think he tried to kill himself after he killed Bell.
According to the ship tracking site the Far From It is docked at a Fort Lauderdale marina on the New River this week. Representatives from the company that books trips on the yacht could not immediately be reached for comment.
Renting the yacht, which has a crew of eight and can accommodate 12 guests in its six cabins, costs between $140,000 and $165,000 a week, depending on the time of year, according to The Luxury Charter Group.
It sails to destinations including the the Bahamas, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, the Windward and Leeward Islands and all the way to north to New England, the company says.
Bell's former shipmates from another yacht, the Sweet Emocean, posted on a GoFundMe page set up to financially help her family, that she was going to celebrate her 21st birthday on July 14.
'Paige was more than a teammate, she was family. Her radiant spirit, infectious laughter, and boundless compassion made an unforgettable impact on everyone lucky enough to know her. Whether it was long days at sea or quiet moments under the stars, she brought light and warmth wherever she went,' her former colleagues wrote.
'In this difficult time, we want to come together to support the people she loved most, her family.'
