LOPEZ ISLAND, Wash. — Sitting in their cozy Lopez Island cafe, Janis Miltenberger and Bruce Botts reminisced about the vibrant life their daughter, Ariana Jones, lived.
"She was really instrumental in our life in many ways," Miltenberger said with Botts shaking his head in agreement.
Jones would work at Vita's Wildly Delicious every summer as the head chef, helping out her stepfather, Botts. It was a tradition they looked forward to and cherished, one they haven't got to experience since the Summer of 2019.
Jones was killed in February 2020. She was stabbed several times in her apartment in San Ignacio, Belize. She held dual citizenship with the country.
"We were there three days later and the apartment hadn't been cleaned. We cleaned the blood. I saw the blood all over her apartment," Miltenberger said.
Investigators gathered evidence from the crime scene: clothes, a wallet, witness reports of hearing screams, and a man taking Jones' car and phone. All of that evidence pointed to one person being the suspect: a man named Javan Moody. Miltenberger said her daughter had recently broken up with him.
Belizean media reported Moody was charged with murder. Moody's defense claimed their client had been set up by police.
His trial started in January 2024. Miltenberger said they were there for the first two weeks. Since then, they've been following along with help from friends they have in Belize.
Recently, they learned the defense asked the judge to dismiss the case. The judge is slated to make a decision on this request November 11, but Miltenberger said she's used to dates being rescheduled.
"I really want to make this clear to the people in Belize and the judiciary there, we are all watching what's going on," she said.
Belize, known as a tropical getaway, also has some of the highest rates of violence in the world. Many countries, including the United States, have travel advisories warning citizens violent crimes like sexual assault, home invasions, armed robberies, and murder are common even during daylight hours and in tourist areas.
Miltenberger doesn't want her daughter to just be another statistic. That's why she chose to break her silence and push for a conviction in this case.
"I don't want any other woman to experience this. I think the people in Belize need to see people are held accountable for their actions," she said.