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A 20-year-old South African woman was found dead aboard a luxury superyacht in the Bahamas, and a fellow crewmember has reportedly been charged in connection with her murder.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) said the woman was discovered dead with visible injuries in the engine room of the vessel on July 3, while it was docked at a marina off Harbour Island. Paige Bell, a stewardess from Johannesburg, was identified as the victim by her family on social media.
Authorities said Bell was reported missing shortly before 1:00 p.m. When officers arrived at the scene, they found her unresponsive, along with a 39-year-old man who was “suffering from severe injuries to his arms,” which police believe were the result of a suicide attempt.
A local doctor pronounced Bell dead on board, according to the RBPF statement posted publicly on July 3.
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The man was later identified in court as Brigido Muñoz, a Mexican national and engineer aboard the vessel, according to Our News Bahamas. Police said Muñoz was taken into custody, treated at a medical clinic, and charged with murder on Wednesday, July 9, in Magistrate Court in Nassau. He was denied bail and is scheduled to return to court on November 20, the outlet reported.
“This evening, Mom and Dad… are flying to the Bahamas to begin the painful process of not only bringing their baby girl home, but also seeking 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 statement, Bell’s relatives confirmed her identity and described her death as “brutal.”
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“It is with broken hearts that we share the devastating news that our beautiful Paigey’s life was brutally taken from us,” the family said on July 4. “We will leave no stone unturned until the guilty is brought to justice.”
Harbour Island, where the yacht was docked at the time of the incident, is a small but exclusive destination about 60 miles east of Nassau, known for attracting celebrity visitors and superyachts.
Bell had previously worked on the motor yacht Sweet Emocean, where former crewmates described her as “more than a teammate — she was family.”
A GoFundMe page created by colleagues and friends has raised more than $42,000 to assist the Bell family with travel and legal costs as well as to retrieve her body. According to the fundraiser, Bell would have turned 21 on July 14. In her honor, her mother has asked supporters to eat red velvet cake, Paige’s favorite, and share a photo in remembrance.
The RBPF said the murder investigation remains active, and authorities have not released a potential motive.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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