Detectives believe that an Atlanta man and his girlfriend, who disappeared in Belize, were murdered.
Investigators in Belize said a search party found the bodies of Drew DeVoursney, 36, and Francesca Matus, 52, in a sugar cane field with duct tape around their wrists.
After a postmortem examination Tuesday, authorities certified their deaths as due to strangulation.
Investigators did not mention anything about any possible suspects.
The couple were last seen on April 25, leaving a bar in Belize.
DeVoursney's mother told WSB-TV that her son Drew had lived in Belize since December.
She said DeVoursney and Matus had been dating for just a few months.
Matus, of Toronto, was set to return to Canada Wednesday, but when her friend, Joe Milholen, showed up to take her to the airport, he said her house was locked up and her car was gone.
"I took a grinder, grinded her lock off, went in. There was her bags already packed along with a little case with her passport in it. So we left there and went to Drew's house, he has a roommate. Got permission to go in his room. There was his passport was in his room," Milholen said.
DeVoursney's mother also said that the Marine vet was preparing to return to Atlanta this Friday.
She said her son was having trouble getting work in Belize, so he decided to return home.
Authorities in Belize are working with the U.S. Embassy and Canadian Consulate as the investigation continues.
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