A man is being held in Mexico in connection with the death of a Canadian woman at the resort of Playa del Carmen south of Cancun.
Kiara Agnew, 23, left last week for what was supposed to be a “dream birthday vacation” to Mexico with her boyfriend, her family wrote on a GoFundMe page.
“This turned into a nightmare” when her family were notified of her death on Friday, the post said. She would have turned 24 on March 11.
Police in Mexico said in a tweet written in Spanish that a man was taken into custody “for the possible crime of femicide, after a lifeless woman was found with possible marks of violence in a hotel located in the Xcalacoco neighborhood.”
Mexican prosecutors confirmed the woman was found dead on Friday, The Associated Press reported. They did not name the man who was detained, but said possible charges are being considered.
Agnew’s family said the person in custody was her boyfriend.
The couple arrived in Playa Del Carmen on Thursday and had planned to go sailing, snorkeling and to visit Mayan ruins, her aunt Katlyn Levesque told Global News.
She said she spoke with her niece on Snapchat that evening. The following day, her family was notified of her death.
“It’s not something that I would ever want anyone to ever have to go through,” Levesque told the newspaper. “She had so much life left to live and it’s not fair that that was robbed from her.”
The family is still waiting for the results of an autopsy to confirm Agnew’s cause of death, she told CBC News.
Global Affairs Canada said they are aware of the death of a Canadian citizen and the detention of another Canadian citizen in Mexico.
“Consular officials are providing consular assistance to the families and are in contact with local authorities,” spokesperson Marilyne Guèvremont said in a statement to CBC News. “Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed.”
Levesque described Agnew as a “vibrant, courageous, driven” woman.
She had grown up in the village of Plaster Rock in New Brunswick before moving to Dawson Creek in British Columbia, where she worked at Lake View Credit Union.
“All at Lake View Credit Union are mourning the loss of our teammate and friend, Kiara Agnew,” the credit union wrote on its Facebook page on Saturday.
“This is a devastating tragedy and loss for our community. We send our love and faith to all others who have been impacted.”
The GoFundMe page is raising funds to pay for costs associated with bringing Agnew’s body back to Canada. It has raised about $14,000 ($20,000 CAD) so far.
Newsweek has contacted the organizer for further comment.
A man is being held in Mexico in connection with the death of a Canadian woman at the resort of Playa del Carmen south of Cancun.
