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A high-profile real estate developer from Colorado was found fatally shot in Belize over the weekend, and police say it could have been the result of a professional hit job by a disgruntled business associate, according to local reports.
Boris Mannsfeld, 56, was found lying face down on the floor of his yard Friday night with a bullet wound to the back of his head, local media outlet Breaking News Belize (BNB) reported.
The deadly incident took place at The Villas at Cocoplum in Maya Beach, a luxury villa complex Mannsfeld helped build in the small Central American country. In 2010, he set up his own development firm in Belize, Boris Mannsfeld and Associates, four years after he moved to the country on a permanent basis with his family.
Boris Mannsfeld, left, a real estate developer from Colorado, was found fatally shot on Friday in Belize. (LinkedIn, left, Getty Images / iStock, top right, eff Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images, bottom right.)
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Police Commissioner Chester Williams told reporters that Mannsfeld’s death has all the hallmarks of a targeted hit, while adding that the exact motive remains unclear, BNB reported.
A loaded 9mm pistol, Mannsfeld’s wallet and a spent shell casing were found near his body, police told the outlet.
“It has all indications of a hit,” Williams said.
“We are looking at the business transactions that Mr. Mannsfeld may have with other individuals, with our view to see if we will be able to close in on a possible motive and perhaps suspect,” Williams said.
The police chief added that one suspect, Frik De Meyere, is currently in custody, although charges were yet to be filed as of Monday.
De Meyere is a former employee of Mannsfeld’s and was previously questioned in relation to the murder of businessman Ricardo Borja in 2023. Borja worked for Mansfield’s company, as did Darren Taylor, who was killed in 2024.
Local Belizean fishermen were out searching for tiger sharks when they stumbled on the Greenland shark. (iStock)
“It will not be wrong for one to assume that there may be some connection there, and we’re looking at that possibility,” William said.
Before his death, Borja claimed that De Meyere was behind a land fraud scheme and had scheduled a meeting with legal counsel, a real estate agency and the government’s special crime unit to present evidence against de Meyere, local outlet Amandala reported at the time. But Borja was killed before he could speak out.
BNB also reports that in a January email, Mannsfeld referenced a “massive fraud case” involving millions in stolen assets and noted his involvement in a $3.9 million lawsuit against a former associate.
Williams acknowledged Mannsfeld’s murder could be linked to the deaths of his Borja and Darren Taylor.
Fox News Digital reached out to police in Belize for further information but did not receive a response.
Belize is located in Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east and Guatemala to the west and south. (Google Maps)
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A profile of Mannsfeld on his company’s website details how he “fell in love” with the country on his first trip there in 1992 and then made it his “barefoot paradise” in 2006. He spent 10 years in the U.S. working in real estate before moving to Belize, a former British colony bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east and Guatemala to the west and south.
He’s described as enjoying endurance mountain biking, road biking, and snow skiing, among other activities.
Mannsfeld’s business sells condos, land plots and other properties in Belize. It also states Mannsfeld was also involved in hotel projects, a concrete company and a renewable energy company.
News of Mannsfeld’s death comes after three American women were found dead from a possible overdose at a beach resort in Belize from a possible overdose.
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
You can send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.