Grieving family of murdered South African superyacht ‘golden girl’ travel to Bahamas to face alleged killer
By
Ronny Reyes
Published July 10, 2025, 11:45 a.m. ET
The grieving family of the South African “golden girl” crew member found dead in the Bahamas have traveled to the Caribbean nation to face the superyacht engineer accused of sexually assaulting and murdering their daughter.
Paige Bell was found partially undressed in the ship’s engine room on July 3 — just days before her 21st birthday — with Mexican national Brigido Munoz, 40, charged with her murder before a Nassau court on Wednesday.
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Paige Bell, 20, was considered a “golden girl” crew member. Chelsey Jacobs/Facebook
As the grizzly details of her death were recounted before the court, the victim’s parents, Michelle and John Bell, were on the island to “begin the painful process of bringing their baby girl home,” the Daily Mail reported.
“Our family is facing an unimaginable journey,” Bell’s sister, Chelsey Jacobs, said in a statement, adding that her family is “seeking justice for the monster that took her life.”
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The Far From It super4 yacht sailing in the Bahamas. motoryacht_farfromit/Instagram
Super yacht crew member killed on deluxe ship days shy of 21st birthday
During Wednesday’s hearing, the court heard that Bell was found with slash wounds on her neck, with additional injuries found on her arms, suggesting she tried to fend off her alleged attacker, according to the Mail.
Because her body was found partially dressed, officials believe Munoz may have sexually assaulted Bell, but he has only been charged with murder so far.
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Superyacht engineer Brigido Munoz, 39, is accused of murdering Paige Bell. brigido.munoz.12/facebook
Police found Munoz with injuries around his arms, describing them as a result of a suicide attempt. He was hospitalized before being charged.
The two crew members worked aboard the Far From It superyacht, which ran charters for nearly $140,000 a week. At the time of Bell’s death, the ship was anchored off Harbour Island.
A native of Johannesburg, Bell was remembered as a “golden girl” by loved ones, while former employers in the yachting world also spoke glowingly of her, according to the UK outlet.
“Paige was more than a teammate, she was family,” wrote a crew member from one of her former boats, Sweet Emocean.
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Paige Bell’s family is grieving her death. Gofundme
“From day one her vibrant energy and positivity shone through, she was loved by her crew members. Not to mention being a rockstar in guest relations,” Stephanus Coetzer, another Sweet Emocean wrote on Facebook.
Coetzer said it was Bell’s dream to rise to the top as a manager of a yacht crew, and pushed others to aspire to be their best.
A GoFundMe was set up to help the family retrieve Bell’s body and pay for the funeral expenses.