An 81-year-old father spoke last night about the apparent suicide of his taxi driver son.

Franklin Belboda, 59, was found dead inside his cab at 10.30pm on Sunday after his father Roland Belboda reported him missing to Police.

Franklin, 59, who was also a butcher at Whites, in Middle Road, Warwick, was discovered by officers in Barry Road, St. George?s, near Fort St. Catherine. Sgt. Robert Cardwell, of the Serious Crime Unit, said the death was still being investigated and foul play had not been ruled out.

Police have issued an appeal for anyone who saw Mr. Belboda or his taxi, a grey Mitsubishi with the licence number T1810, over the weekend to contact them. Those with information should call Sgt. Cardwell or Ch. Insp. Andrew Boyce on 299-4315 or 295-0011.

He is believed to have taken his own life. A broadcast news report last night claimed a forensic pathologist was headed to the Island to examine Mr. Belboda. Roland, who lived with his son in Bulkhead Drive, Warwick, told last night that Frankie, as he was known, was a ?happy-go-lucky boy?.

?He liked to tell jokes. He was a down-to-earth person and a very humble person. I feel that I have lost a good son, that?s for sure. He did his best for me and his family.?

A former goalkeeper who played for North Village, appears in a television advert for Whites and was well-known to cabbies around the Island.

He also worked at Marley Beach Hotel. He was a former pupil of Robert Crawford School and an ex-altar boy at St. Anthony?s Church.

The divorcee had two sons, Franklyn and Marvin, and a step-daughter, Tashii. He also had three brothers, Jerome, Vincent and Gordon, and two sisters, Veronica Franklin and Delores Williams.

Seven years ago, Mr Belboda?s mother Aileen Sybil Belboda died after suffering massive head injuries in a car crash. The taxi driver who crashed the cab she was travelling in was later found guilty of causing death by driving while impaired.

In 2002, Mr. Belboda helped a stranded family who were sightseeing at Fort St. Catherine when their cruise ship left the Island without them.

Linda, Peter and Zdrauko Dobrijevic were driven to Meyer Agency in Hamilton by Mr Belboda where they were able to arrange a flight to meet the ship when it docked in New Jersey.

To show their appreciation, the American family sent a card and gift to Mr. Belboda once they had settled-in safely at home.

Roland Belboda said: ?After my wife passed away, he was the one that stayed with me. He was a very nice guy. I have nothing bad to say about him. We were very close.?

Mr. Belboda said his son had not left a note or given any indication that he was planning to take his own life. ?I don?t know what the policemen have found but they haven?t told me if they have found anything.?

Frankie?s brother Gordon, 52, who was best man at his wedding, said: ?He normally took his taxi back at 12 o?clock and apparently he didn?t take the taxi back and my father notified the police after he was missing for so many hours. I don?t know if he had taken some passengers down to St. George?s.?

He added: ?On January 3, it was seven years since we buried our mother after she was killed by a drunken taxi driver. We also lost my nephew, Jerome Belboda, who played football for Dandy Town, when he was killed in a car about 15 years ago.

?We are all shocked. I found out at 2.30 this morning. I saw him (Frankie) last week, on Thursday. He was driving the taxi. He came to see my father. He seemed happy.?

The years since Mrs. Belboda?s death at 71 a week after the December 28, 1998 accident had been difficult for the family.

?My mother is sorely missed,? he said. ?Christmas is not like it used to be for us. Last month she?d have been buried seven years ago, on January 3. Then this happens this month. It?s not easy.

?Frankie looked after our father. He used to mow the grass and do the hedges. It?s sad. I don?t know what has happened.?

Collins Fisher, Frankie?s second cousin, said: ?We were bosom buddies. We were close, there?s no two ways about it. He had his nice ways.?

Frankie?s colleagues also paid tribute to him yesterday. A fellow worker at Whites, who asked not to be named, said: ?There was a bit of a sombre mood here this morning. It?s certainly a big shock.

?I just didn?t think it would happen to Frankie this way. He was a young 59 and always kept himself fit. He loved to walk and he was a very hard-working guy.?

Cabbie Earl Bailey, from Somerset, said: ?I was talking to him on Friday night in Hamilton. He seemed to be okay. I didn?t see anything wrong. He was a quiet guy, a nice guy.?

Another taxi driver, who asked not to be named, said: ?I have known Frankie all my life. He was like a big brother. Frankie was a people person.

?He was a big-time nice guy. I saw him on Friday or Saturday night and asked him how he was and he said he was cool. Frankie?s death is a mystery.?

Police officers cordoned off Barry Road and conducted a daylight search of the area where Mr Belboda was found yesterday morning. Police said Mr. Belboda was found unresponsive in the taxi and was pronounced dead at the scene by a doctor at 12.34 a.m. A post-mortem is due to be carried out in the next 48 hours.

Mr Belboda?s funeral is expected to take place at St. Theresa?s Church, Hamilton.