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Post by Sher on Feb 22, 2006 17:13:24 GMT -5
Two Canadian tourists killed in Mexican resort Updated Wed. Feb. 22 2006 6:13 AM ET CTV.ca News Staff The Barceló Maya Beach resort in the Mayan Riviera, on the Mexican Caribbean coast. Two Canadian tourists, who were in Mexico for their daughter's wedding, were found brutally murdered in their hotel room one day before the nuptials. "Foreign Affairs has been informed yesterday of the death of a Canadian couple," Pamela Greenwell, Foreign Affairs spokesperson told CTV.ca on Tuesday night. "Contact has been established with accompanying family in order to offer consular assistance," she said, adding that Mexican authorities have launched an investigation into their deaths. Local papers say Domenico Ianiero, a 59-year-old real estate agent, and his 55-year-old wife Annunziata, also known as Nancy, were discovered slain in their hotel room on Monday morning, their throats slit by a knife, execution-style. The resort hotel is said to be located some 20 kilometres south of Playa del Carmen, on the Gulf of Mexico. According to unconfirmed local reports, the bodies were found after family members became concerned when they were unable to locate the couple. It's believed nothing was stolen from the Ianiero's room, nor were there signs of forced entry. The Woodbridge, Ont. couple was staying at the luxurious Barcelo Maya hotel, which is located some 20 kilometres south of Playa del Carmen. The hotel's general manager told CTV's Scott Laurie that he could not give out any further information about the murders. "It's pretty clear from walking in the lobby that there is an increased security presence there. There were a lot of people walking around, not in uniform but in walkie talkies, clearly keeping track of who is coming and going from the hotel," Laurie reported from Playa del Carmen. Authorities have questioned sixteen Canadians in Mexico, who were travelling with the couple for the wedding, which was scheduled for Tuesday. It's unclear the role Canadian authorities will play in the investigation. "The Mexican police naturally have prime jurisdiction in the area, so in the end we must leave it to them," said Dave Harris, the former chief of strategic planning for CSIS. "But they have every incentive to be co-operative because when you think about it a good deal of Mexico's income does come from tourism and Canadians are considerable contributors to that influx," Harris said, appearing on CTV Newsnet. Meanwhile, news of the couple's deaths have left neighbours and co-workers reeling. "He is not the type of person that this should actually happen to," said Vince Carere of Domenico Ianiero, who he worked with at HomeLife Real Estate. One neighbour, who described the couple as "smiling" and "friendly," told CTV Toronto: "We were shocked. I don't even know what words I can say to describe what we felt." With a report from CTV's Scott Laurie and Chris Eby
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Post by Sher on Feb 22, 2006 17:16:06 GMT -5
Police investigate slaying of two Cdns. in Mexico CTV.ca News Staff Police on Wednesday have launched an investigation into the brutal slaying of two Canadian tourists in Mexico who were visiting the sun-drenched country for their daughter's wedding. Domenico Ianiero, a 59-year-old real estate agent, and his 55-year-old wife Annunziata, also known as Nancy, were found murdered in their hotel room on Monday, one day before the nuptials. Their throats had been slit. The couple from Woodbridge, Ont., just north of Toronto, was staying at the luxurious all-inclusive Barcelo Maya hotel resort, located on the Mayan Riviera. Family members became concerned when the couple failed to show up at a wedding party breakfast on Monday. Hotel security was called to check in on the couple. When they arrived at the hotel room, they found the Ianieros lying in pools of blood. Police told CTV's Scott Laurie that Domenico Ianiero was found in the bathroom, while Nancy was discovered in the bedroom. "They were wonderful, caring and just very kind people and we're all just really devastated," a sobbing niece of the couple, who refused to give her name, told The Canadian Press on Wednesday. "He was the head of our family, he kept us all together." Suspects Mexican police and the prosecutor's office believe the two suspects behind the murders may now be in Canada, Laurie said. Cesar Munoz, editor at the Cancun-based newspaper Novedades Quintana Roo, said Mexican prosecutors will be requesting Interpol's help Wednesday to locate the suspects, who are believed to be two Canadian women. Their identities have not been confirmed because of incomplete information at the hotel registry. According to Mexican authorities, the suspects "boarded a plane the day that the bodies were found, which was Monday morning," said Laurie. It's believed nothing was stolen from the Ianieros' room, nor were there signs of forced entry. "There was no sign of a robbery. Usually in this kind of crime, in this kind of setting, that's one of the first things that police might suspect," Laurie told Canada AM on Wednesday from Playa del Carmen. "But there's no evidence that happened in this case." Authorities have questioned sixteen Canadians in Mexico, who were travelling with the couple for the wedding. The couple had four children, including twin girls, one of whom was to be married on Tuesday. The couple's niece told CP that she is not sure when the wedding party will be returning home. She said one of the couple's four children had been contacted by Canadian officials but she and other family members had received no updates on the investigation. Travel concerns With the busy March break around the corner, the former parliamentary secretary for Canadians abroad told Canada AM on Wednesday that travellers shouldn't be discouraged from going to Mexico. Despite the tragedy of the incident, "this is not an issue to panic about," said Liberal MP Dan McTeague. "This is a one-off situation. It's a very beautiful place to travel and we would not want to discourage people from going there. As a Member of Parliament, I've had a few calls already, and I told people not to worry. McTeague said Canadians should consult the Foreign Affairs website at www.fac-aec.gc.ca/ to get the most up-to-date information about travel destinations. By Wednesday afternoon, Consular Affairs hadn't issued any new warnings for Canadians to avoid travel to Mexico.
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Post by Sher on Feb 23, 2006 17:56:37 GMT -5
Mexico slayings may be professional hit: official CTV.ca News Staff Domenico Ianiero The family of an Ontario couple slain at a luxury resort in Mexico was preparing to bring the bodies home Thursday -- amid speculation that the grisly killings may have been a professional hit. Domenico Ianiero, 59, and his wife, Annunziata, 55, of Woodbridge, Ont., were found dead in their hotel room at the five-star Barcelo Maya Beach Resort on the Mayan Riviera early Tuesday, just hours before their daughter's wedding. Initially, local reports suggested the couple had been found early Monday. The couple's son, Anthony, has flown to Mexico and is expected to return to Canada shortly with the bodies, a family member told The Canadian Press Thursday. Meanwhile, Mexican investigators say they are trying to track down two Canadian suspects who they believe are responsible for the deaths. Mexican authorities said they don't believe the suspects -- initially reported to be two women -- are still in Mexico, but would not confirm whether they had returned to Canada. They feel certain, however, that the suspects have left Mexico. "They are no longer in this state, nor, according to reports, in the country," Felipe Duran, a spokesman for the state attorney's office in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, told CP. "But we don't know where they went." Professional hit Mexican State Attorney General Bello Melchor Rodriguez told the Toronto Star he believes the suspects were carrying out a professional, pre-meditated hit. "The killers knew what they were doing when they arrived,'' he told the Star. "They probably bought a vacation package to do this and left that day." Rodriguez said both the names and even the gender of the two suspects are unclear due to possible registration mistakes by the hotel. He said the guests registered using only last names and abandoned the hotel early Monday. They were not part of the wedding party. The only information about the suspects believed listed in the front-desk register are two signatures featuring last names -- King and Everald. 'King Everald' is the name of an obscure reggae band. "It was the fault of the hotel employees who didn't record the name, age, occupation, address and many other things," Rodriguez added. Evidence CTV's Scott Laurie, reporting from Cancun, said information from Mexican authorities surrounding the killings was "vague." "This is a scene that must have had a lot of blood," Laurie told CTV Newsnet Thursday. "If one or two people were involved at that scene, how did they get away without leaving footprints or some sort of evidence that would lead Mexican officials to have more to go on than vague information about some women going back to Canada on a flight? They don't even know where the flight was going." Laurie added that CTV's camera equipment had been confiscated. "Our equipment was confiscated at the airport by Mexican authorities, we haven't had an official explanation why." Police said the suspects booked their trip through Sunquest Vacations. The company issued a statement Wednesday saying they were doing what they could to assist investigators. "We can confirm that we had an official request for information from the Mexican prosecutors on this case," said the statement. "We are complying with that request." Canadian authorities Interpol and RCMP officials in Canada would only confirm they had been in contact with local investigators, but refused to provide any information, saying it was a Mexican case. Meanwhile, a Toronto-area Liberal MP is raising questions about why Canadian authorities aren't seeking the suspects. RCMP spokeswoman Cpl. Michele Paradis said police still haven't received any formal request for help from Mexican authorities. Dan McTeague, who was the parliamentary secretary responsible for Canadians abroad under Paul Martin, says the new Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day should ask the Mounties to get involved. "I am extremely concerned that Minister Day and Canadian authorities appear to be waiting a request for assistance from the Mexicans while a distinct possibility exists that those thought to be responsible for the murders may be walking the streets back in Canada," McTeague said in a written statement. There has been virtually no information available from Canadian authorities about the two possible suspects. Peter Van Loan, parliamentary secretary to Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay, is expected to respond to questions about the slayings on Thursday afternoon.
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Post by Sher on Feb 24, 2006 14:19:14 GMT -5
Mexican police have killers' names: reports CTV.ca News Staff
Mexican police say they have the names and photos of two suspects wanted in the brutal slayings of an Ontario couple, and are now searching for a third suspect, a newspaper reports.
The Toronto Star said Mexican prosecutor Bello Melchor Rodriguez would not give further details about the suspects, or the origin of the photos.
Rodriguez told the Star that Mexican authorities did not yet have a name or photo for the third suspect, but that extradition requests will be launched once police finish their probe.
Domenico Ianiero, 59, and his wife, Annunziata, 55, of Woodbridge, Ont., were found dead in their hotel room at the five-star Barcelo Maya Beach Resort on the Mayan Riviera early Monday.
Their throats had been expertly slashed and they were lying in pools of blood, police said.
Rodgriguez said the slaying of the couple, who were in Mexico for their daughter's wedding, was the work of a pre-meditated, professional hit.
Mexican investigators say the suspects are from Canada and flew home after the killings.
However, former Toronto homicide investigator Mark Mendelson told CTV News that he doubts that theory.
"You're going through so many different security systems -- Pearson, Cancun, at the hotel," Mendelson said Friday.
"You leave yourself on tape in so many different locations. That's not the mark of a professional."
Rodriguez said incomplete paperwork at the resort was thwarting the probe into the deaths. He said both the names and even the gender of the two suspects are unclear due to possible registration mistakes by the hotel.
The guests reportedly registered using only last names and abandoned the hotel early Monday.
"They are no longer in this state, nor, according to reports, in the country," Felipe Duran, a spokesman for the state attorney's office in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, told The Canadian Press Thursday. "But we don't know where they went."
The Star reported that Mexican police are in contact with Canadian police through Interpol, but the RCMP has refused to confirm whether they are involved in the investigation.
This has prompted speculation that Mexican police -- possibly under pressure from tourism or government officials -- may have rushed to blame Canadians for the killings in a bid to protect tourism in the area.
Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay says his department has been in touch with Mexican authorities and is monitoring the case.
There are also reports that Canadian authorities are reviewing security video from Toronto's Pearson Airport.
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Post by Sher on Feb 24, 2006 20:58:14 GMT -5
Conflicting information on suspects from Mexicans
CTV.ca News Staff
Mexican authorities are offering conflicting information on whether or not they are searching for a third suspect in the brutal slayings of an Ontario couple.
The Toronto Star reported Friday that Mexican prosecutor Bello Melchor Rodriguez said Mexican authorities have the names and photos of two suspects wanted in the brutal slayings of an Ontario couple, and are now searching for a third suspect.
But Armando Marquez, also with the state attorney's office, said there had been a misunderstanding.
"No, there is nothing of the sort, that's a misunderstanding," said Marquez Friday.
"We are working on (the case) and we aren't releasing any more information so as to not interfere with the investigation -- but I can tell you, in all honesty, that there is nothing like that ... especially not people or photographs."
Domenico Ianiero, 59, and his wife, Annunziata, 55, of Woodbridge, Ont., were found slain in their hotel room at the five-star Barcelo Maya Beach Resort on the Mayan Riviera early Monday.
Rodriguez has said the slaying of the couple, who were in Mexico for their daughter's wedding, was the work of a pre-meditated, professional hit.
But Toni Veola believes the suggestion is unfair to the memory of her murdered relatives.
"I think the public is being misled about this hit thing these people are innocent people," Veola told CTV Toronto.
"They're hardworking people and they don't deserve that kind of insinuation."
Former Toronto homicide investigator Mark Mendelson also told CTV News that he doubts the theory that the murders were a professional hit.
"You're going through so many different security systems -- Pearson, Cancun, at the hotel," Mendelson said Friday.
"You leave yourself on tape in so many different locations. That's not the mark of a professional."
Mexican investigators have said they believe the suspects are from Canada and have already fled the country.
The plot thickened Friday with reports that two women from Thunder Bay, Ont. who had been vacationing at the same resort contacted police and a lawyer after arriving home for fear Mexican police had singled them out as suspects.
"It is preposterous to think that they could be involved in any kind of criminality. They have not had so much as a speeding ticket in their lives," their lawyer Lee Baig told CTV Toronto.
"It is incredible that anyone would consider them to be capable of murder," he said, of the two health care workers.
Ont. detective questions investigation
Thunder Bay police Det.-Insp. Dan Taddeo declined comment on why the two women from the northern Ontario city believed they sere suspects, but said police have no reason to believe they were involved.
Taddeo said it was "peculiar" that Mexican police are so certain the crimes were committed by someone from outside the country.
"I don't know how they can make that leap so quickly and so definitively without seeking some kind of co-operative effort from a Canadian police service," he told The Canadian Press.
"It's extremely puzzling."
Taddeo also questioned why Mexican authorities did not seem interested in interviewing Canadians who were at the resort on the night of the murders.
"Somebody may have seen something, somebody may have been at a gathering, somebody may have heard something," he said.
"It's extremely peculiar that they be so positive on their angle of investigation without reaching out and getting assistance from police agencies in this country."
On Friday, a Canadian tourist who was staying at the Barcelo Maya resort told CTV News that she had not been interviewed by police.
"No one questioned any of us, and we checked out as normal. There didn't seem to be any presence of anybody in the lobby or anybody that wasn't normally there," Wendy Ferrara said.
Furthermore, she was not prevented from getting on the flight once at the airport, Ferrara said.
RCMP spokeswoman Sgt. Nathalie Deschenes said that while a number of people have come forward to the Mounties with information about the case, the Mexican police have not made an official request for assistance.
Canadian consular officials were still with the family in Mexico, but could not confirm Friday whether the family had been moved from the Barcelo Maya resort.
Meanwhile, Mexican authorities are claiming the huge amount of attention surrounding the case is hampering the investigation.
Duran told reporters Friday that the prosecutor needs to be able to focus on the probe without distraction and said too much information is being reported before its validity can be verified.
"We are asking our friends in the media here in the state that they allow us move forward, that they allow us to work, because it's a bit difficult right now," Felipe Duran, a spokesman for the state attorney's office, said in a phone interview.
"Every day information is coming out (and) we really we don't have anything more than what we (originally) released."
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Post by Sher on Feb 24, 2006 23:16:13 GMT -5
Frustration mounts over Mexico investigation CTV.ca News Staff
Frustration is building in Canada over the Mexican investigation into the murders of an Ontario couple at a five-star Mayan Riviera resort.
Four days after Domenico Ianiero and his wife, Annunziata, were found slain in their hotel room at the Barcelo Maya Beach Resort, authorities continue to insist that two Canadians are suspects in the murders.
But police in Canada and a pair of Ontario women, who believe they've been falsely linked to the crime, are critical of the way the investigation is being handled.
The two women from Thunder Bay, Ont., who had been vacationing at the same resort when the couple was murdered, were floored when they heard Mexican authorities use similar last names to theirs, while fingering two Canadian women as suspects.
One of the women, Kimberley Kim, told CTV, "They are going after the wrong people... The real murderer is going to get away with it."
Upon their return home, they hired a lawyer, who says if Mexico has evidence against them, it's fabricated.
"It is preposterous to think that they could be involved in any kind of criminality. They have not had so much as a speeding ticket in their lives," their lawyer Lee Baig told CTV Toronto.
"It is incredible that anyone would consider them to be capable of murder," he said
The pair also went to local police, who say the Mexican investigation is like a runaway train.
Ont. detective questions investigation
"There was no proper lockdown of the crime scene, people were not stopped, people were not identified. And further, people weren't even challenged at the airport," Thunder Bay police Det.-Insp. Dan Taddeo charged, in an interview with CTV News.
Taddeo declined comment on why the two women from the northern Ontario city believed they were suspects, but said police have no reason to believe they were involved.
Taddeo told The Canadian Press he found it "peculiar" that Mexican police are so certain the crimes were committed by someone from outside the country.
"I don't know how they can make that leap so quickly and so definitively without seeking some kind of co-operative effort from a Canadian police service," he told The Canadian Press.
"It's extremely puzzling."
Taddeo also questioned why Mexican authorities did not seem interested in interviewing Canadians who were at the resort on the night of the murders.
"Somebody may have seen something, somebody may have been at a gathering, somebody may have heard something," he said.
"It's extremely peculiar that they be so positive on their angle of investigation without reaching out and getting assistance from police agencies in this country."
On Friday, a Canadian tourist who was staying at the Barcelo Maya resort told CTV News that she had not been interviewed by police.
"No one questioned any of us, and we checked out as normal. There didn't seem to be any presence of anybody in the lobby or anybody that wasn't normally there," Wendy Ferrara said.
Furthermore, she was not prevented from getting on the flight once at the airport, Ferrara said.
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Post by Sher on Feb 25, 2006 20:56:17 GMT -5
Murder not a professional hit, says official CTV.ca News Staff
A Mexican state attorney general leading the investigation into a murdered Canadian couple now says it does not look like the work of organized crime.
It is an about-face for Bello Melchor Rodriguez y Carrillo, the attorney general for Qunitana Roo state. He previously said Domenico and Annunziata Ianiero of Woodbridge, Ont. had their throats slit in what appeared to be a "professional" manner.
Rodriguez y Carrillo's comments led to speculation that the killing was a professional assassination carried out while the Ianieros were in Mexico for their daughter's wedding.
"A lot of things get written about that, but I don't think it related (to organized crime)," he told The Canadian Press in a telephone interview.
"We work based on concrete evidence, we don't speculate, we go based on what we know."
Investigation concerns
Frustration has been building in Canada over the Mexican investigation since the couple's bodies were found last Monday.
"There was no proper lockdown of the crime scene, people were not stopped, people were not identified. And further, people weren't even challenged at the airport," Thunder Bay police Det.-Insp. Dan Taddeo charged in an interview with CTV News on Friday.
People in this country have questioned why Mexican authorities did not question people staying at the Barcelo Maya resort and how police investigators could quickly reach conclusions that the suspects were three Canadian women.
Rodriguez y Carrillo stands by his investigators' conclusions, adding that the suspects are now in Canada.
"That is the case, yes, it is true," he said. "Based on the tests that we have completed, we are very certain (they are Canadians)."
He claims to know names of the suspects and even has their pictures.
Consular officials from Canada and an RCMP liaison officer are in touch with authorities in Mexico. However as of Friday evening, they had not formally asked for help in the investigation.
Rodriguez y Carrillo says he will make a request for Canadian assistance next week once investigators have finished collecting the necessary information and evidence. He is expected to provide further information during a news conference scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
Coroner investigation
Toronto West's regional supervising coroner says his office will take possession of Domenico and Annunziata Ianiero remains when they arrive at Pearson International Airport sometime this weekend.
Dr. David Evans says his office is authorized to conduct its own investigation on any dead person returning to Ontario who has met with foul play.
While the bodies will be sent for forensic testing, Evans expects any potential evidence will be contaminated, particularly if a Mexican funeral home, where authorities brought the victims, has done preparation work in advance of them being sent back to Canada.
The Ianiero's son, Anthony, has travelled to Mexico to collect his parents' remains.
Once Canadian tests are concluded, the bodies will be turned over to family members.
With reports from CTV's Austin Delaney, Kathy Tomlinson and files from The Canadian Press
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Post by Sher on Feb 26, 2006 1:06:17 GMT -5
Mexico to seek extradition of three Canadians
CTV.ca News Staff
Extradition warrants will be sought for three Canadian women in the murder of a Canadian couple in Mexico, CTV News has learned.
A source familiar with the investigation made the claim, but the suspects' names have not been released, CTV's Denelle Belfour reported Saturday from the Mayan Riviera.
Members of the Ianiero family were still at the resort as of Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, a Mexican state attorney general leading the investigation now says the murder do not look like the work of organized crime.
The statement is an about-face for Bello Melchor Rodriguez y Carrillo, the attorney general for Qunitana Roo state. He previously said Domenico and Annunziata Ianiero of Woodbridge, Ont. had their throats slit in what appeared to be a "professional" manner.
Rodriguez y Carrillo's comments led to speculation that the killing was a professional assassination carried out while the Ianieros were in Mexico for their daughter's wedding.
"A lot of things get written about that, but I don't think it related (to organized crime)," he told The Canadian Press in a telephone interview.
"We work based on concrete evidence, we don't speculate, we go based on what we know.
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Post by Sher on Feb 26, 2006 19:12:59 GMT -5
Day says RCMP monitoring Mexican investigation CTV.ca News Staff
The RCMP has been working with Mexican authorities investigating the brutal slaying of a Canadian couple in Mexico, Public Security Minister Stockwell Day confirmed Sunday.
"They're doing what they can," Day said during an appearance on CTV's Question Period.
"The RCMP has been there with their liaison people right from the beginning. The Canadian consulate has been there."
He downplayed mixed reports that have come out of Mexico, particularly claims that the killers are roaming free in Canada.
"We have a situation where Mexican authorities, almost by the hour the story changes," Day said.
He added: "At one point the Mexican authorities said there were two people, another time they said there were three; then they said it was a professional killing. Now recently they've been saying we know where they are in Canada, we've got their addresses. The thing is taking on bizarre proportions."
Day said the Mexican authorities have their own motivation for wanting to deflect responsibility for the murder and pin the blame on Canadian suspects, but he said the RCMP is monitoring the situation closely as possible.
"This is a key tourist area," Day said. "They don't want to have any sense that there's danger in their own country. But clearly at times there is, and I can tell you the RCMP have been asking a lot of questions and have been on the job on this one and are looking and monitoring these reports carefully."
However, Day said the RCMP's ability to play a key role in the investigation is limited by jurisdiction. He pointed out that if a Mexican was murdered in Canada, the RCMP would co-operate with Mexican authorities, but would retain control of the investigation.
On Saturday, CTV learned Mexican authorities would be seeking extradition warrants for three Canadian women in the murder of Domenico and Annunziata Ianiero of Woodbridge, Ont. in Mexico.
A source familiar with the investigation made the claim, but the suspects' names have not been released, CTV's Denelle Belfour reported Saturday from the Mayan Riviera.
Members of the Ianiero family were still at the resort as of Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Bello Melchor Rodriguez y Carrillo , the Mexican state attorney general leading the investigation has changed his mind and now says the murders do not look like the work of organized crime.
Earlier, he said the victims had their throats slit in what appeared to be a professional hit.
Frustration has been building in Canada over the Mexican investigation since the couple's bodies were found last Monday.
"There was no proper lockdown of the crime scene, people were not stopped, people were not identified. And further, people weren't even challenged at the airport," Thunder Bay police Det.-Insp. Dan Taddeo charged in an interview with CTV News on Friday.
Mexican authorities did not question people staying at the Barcelo Maya resort.
Rodriguez y Carrillo still holds that the suspects are now in Canada.
"That is the case, yes, it is true," he told The Canadian Press. "Based on the tests that we have completed, we are very certain (they are Canadians)."
The Mexican authorities had not formally asked for help with the investigation, but Rodriguez y Carrillo says he will make a request for Canadian assistance next week once investigators have finished collecting the necessary information and evidence.
Coroner's investigation
Toronto West's regional supervising coroner says his office will take possession of Domenico and Annunziata Ianiero's remains when they arrive at Pearson International Airport sometime this weekend.
"We felt we needed to invoke Section 15 and do an examination," Dr. David Evans said.
Section 15 of the Coroner's Act gives Evans the right to conduct an examination on the body of a deceased person arriving in Ontario if foul play is suspected.
But it may be too late to help the international murder investigation. An autopsy has reportedly been conducted by Mexican authorities and the Ianiero's bodies embalmed.
With reports from CTV's Austin Delaney, Kathy Tomlinson, Denelle Belfour, Galit Solomon and files from The Canadian Press.
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Post by Sher on Feb 27, 2006 1:27:10 GMT -5
Mexicans not talking about Ont. couple's murder CTV.ca News Staff
Mexican authorities cancelled yet another news conference that might have shed more light on why they consider three Canadian women as key suspects in an Ontario couple's slaying.
Releasing information to the media could result in the investigation becoming tainted, Angel Lopez, a spokesman for prosecutor Bello Melchor Rodriguez y Carrillo, said Sunday.
The prosecutor maintains the suspects are back in Canada, and that his office has their names and photographs.
However, some wonder if Mexican authorities are blaming Canadians in an effort to protect Cancun's vital tourism industry.
Interviewed on CTV's Question Period on Sunday, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said: "This is a key tourist area. They don't want to have any sense that there's danger in their own country.
"But clearly at times there is, and I can tell you the RCMP have been asking a lot of questions and have been on the job on this one and are looking and monitoring these reports carefully."
He downplayed mixed reports that have come out of Mexico, particularly claims that the killers are roaming free in Canada.
"We have a situation where Mexican authorities, almost by the hour the story changes," Day said.
He added: "At one point the Mexican authorities said there were two people, another time they said there were three; then they said it was a professional killing. Now recently they've been saying we know where they are in Canada, we've got their addresses. The thing is taking on bizarre proportions."
On Saturday, Mexican authorities requested the RCMP's help with the investigation.
However, Day said the RCMP's ability to play a key role in the investigation is limited by jurisdiction. He pointed out that if a Mexican was murdered in Canada, the RCMP would co-operate with Mexican authorities, but would retain control of the investigation.
Domenico and Annunziata Ianiero of Woodbridge, Ont. were murdered in Mexico on Feb. 20. They were at a Mexican resort for the marriage of one of their daughters.
Someone slashed their throats in their hotel rooms in what Mexican officials first characterized as a professional-style hit. They later retracted that claim.
Two women from Thunder Bay returned to Canada after the killings, but their lawyer said Sunday their departure had been scheduled weeks in advance. Lee Baig, their lawyer, told The Canadian Press: "They're just mystified as to why the Mexicans would leap to such an erroneous conclusion."
There appear to be many problems with the investigation.
Mexican authorities did not question people staying at the Barcelo Maya resort.
Timothy Appleby, a veteran crime reporter with The Globe and Mail newspaper, has many questions: "Why was the hotel not sealed? Why were people allowed to leave the resort? Why, in what appears to be a contaminated crime scene, were maids reportedly allowed to mop up blood?"
Coroner's investigation
Toronto West's regional supervising coroner says his office will take possession of the Ianiero's remains when they arrive at Pearson International Airport, although it still isn't known when that will happen.
"We felt we needed to invoke Section 15 and do an examination," Dr. David Evans said.
Section 15 of the Coroner's Act gives Evans the right to conduct an examination on the body of a deceased person arriving in Ontario if foul play is suspected.
But it may be too late to help the international murder investigation. Mexican authorities have reportedly conducted an autopsy and the Ianiero's bodies have been embalmed.
"The body that may arrive here is not necessarily the same in relation to evidence as it was when they were found," Evans said.
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Post by Sher on Feb 27, 2006 10:48:49 GMT -5
Mexico to issue extradition warrants in slayings
CTV.ca News Staff
As mystery and confusion surrounding the slaying of an Ontario couple in Mexico continues to deepen, Mexican authorities are set to issue extradition warrants for three Canadian women wanted in connection with the grisly killings, media reports say.
Mexican police say the principal evidence in the slaying is a trail of blood from the crime scene at a luxury resort near Cancun to the suspects' bedroom door, The Globe and Mail reports.
However, The Globe said the Mexican prosecutor making the claims could not confirm that information.
Quintana Roo state attorney Bello Melchor Rodriguez y Carrillo abruptly cancelled two news conferences over the weekend, claiming he needed more time to review information.
He maintains the suspects are three Canadian women, believed to be back in Canada, and that he has their names and photographs.
But CTV's Denelle Balfour, reporting from Cancun on Monday, said Mexican and Canadian reporters alike are frustrated that authorities have "not given us any information to back up this claim -- that the suspects involved are three Canadian women."
"There's now just a lot of frustrated journalists here trying to get some answers for the Canadian public."
And critics say Canadians may be getting the blame simply to protect Cancun's tourism industry.
Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day told CTV's Question Period Sunday that the Mexican investigation was taking on some "bizarre proportions."
"This is a key tourist area," said Day. "They don't want to have any sense that there's danger in their own country."
Day downplayed the mixed reports coming out of Mexico, particularly claims that the killers are roaming free in Canada.
"We have a situation where Mexican authorities almost by the hour change the story," Day added.
Domenico Ianiero, 59, and his wife, Annunziata, 55, of Woodbridge, Ont., were found dead in their hotel room at the five-star Barcelo Maya Beach Resort on the Mayan Riviera early Monday.
The couple, who were in Mexico for their daughter's wedding, were found with their throats expertly slashed.
Mexican officials first characterized the killings as a professional-style hit, but later retracted that claim.
Speculation that the killings were related to organized crime has greatly upset the Ianiero family, who released a statement Sunday expressing their frustration.
"All the stories out there are all lies, anything being said is all speculated,'' the family statement said."There is no proof, it's just ludicrous. My mom and dad have been murdered, and it's just been sensationalized.''
On Saturday, Canadian authorities confirmed the RCMP had received a request from the Mexican authorities to get involved in the investigation, almost a week after the killing took place.
Early in the investigation, Mexican authorities had said two of the suspects had been staying at the same resort as the victims, but had registered with incomplete information, providing only the names Everald and King. A third suspect was later added.
The bodies of the victims were still being held at a funeral home in Playa del Carmen. Mexican officials say they are not sure when they will be flown back to Canada.
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Post by Sher on Feb 27, 2006 11:33:38 GMT -5
TORONTO (CP) - A day after confirming that three Canadian women were key suspects in the slaying of an Ontario couple, Mexican authorities abruptly cancelled a news conference Sunday, saying they needed more time to review their information.
Releasing information to the media could result in the investigation becoming tainted, said Angel Lopez, a spokesman for prosecutor Bello Melchor Rodriguez y Carrillo.
The prosecutor has maintained the suspects are three Canadian women, believed to be back in Canada, and that his office has their names and photographs.
But there has been criticism of the investigation, with some expressing concern that the Mexican authorities may be blaming Canadians to protect Cancun's tourism industry.
On Sunday, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day joined those expressing reservations about the investigation, saying it has taken too many bizarre twists.
"This is a key tourist area, they don't want to have any sense that there is danger in their own country, but clearly at times there are," he told CTV's Question Period.
"I can tell you the RCMP have been asking a lot of questions and have been on the job on this one."
Domenico Ianiero, 59, and his wife, Annunziata, 55, of Woodbridge, Ont., were in Mexico to attend the wedding of one of their twin girls, Lily.
Mexican officials said their bodies were found on Feb. 20 in their hotel room with their throats slashed.
Canadian authorities confirmed they are involved in an investigation, saying the RCMP received a request from the Mexican authorities Saturday, almost a week after the killing took place, but would not discuss it because it is part of an ongoing investigation.
Early in the investigation, Mexican authorities had said two of the suspects had been staying at the same resort as the victims, but had registered with incomplete information, providing only the names Everald and King.
A third suspect was later added.
Authorities also said traces of blood were found in the suspects' room and in the hallway that connected that room to that of the Ianeros.
Two women in Thunder Bay, Ont., have since cast doubt on that theory.
They contacted police upon their return from the Mayan Riviera to say they were worried about being suspected.
The names of two alleged suspects given out by Mexican authorities - Everald and King - were "markedly similar" to their names, the women's lawyer, Lee Baig said Sunday from Thunder Bay.
The women, he said, are each parents of two school-aged children, work in health care, are respected citizens and have had no previous trouble with the law.
"They're just mystified as to why the Mexicans would leap to such an erroneous conclusion," he said.
"They didn't flee the country; they left the country, but they left at their scheduled time," Baig said. "The flights had been booked weeks and weeks and weeks before."
Baig expressed relief Sunday night that two names released by a Mexican newspaper were different from those of his clients.
"I don't know what to think now," he told the Toronto Sun. "We'll have to wait and see what comes out officially."
Pamela Greenwell, a Foreign Affairs spokeswoman in Ottawa, said Canada is providing consular assistance to the victims' family, including working with Mexican authorities on the release of the bodies.
In Cancun, Lopez said the bodies of the victims were still being held at a funeral home in Playa del Carmen, and officials are not sure when they will be flown back to Canada.
Investigators from the federal attorney general's office in Mexico City were conducting forensic tests on the bodies and reviewing other evidence in the case Sunday, Lopez said.
Speculation that the killing was related to organized crime has greatly upset the family, who released a statement expressing their frustration.
"All the stories out there are all lies, anything being said is all speculated," the family said. "There is no proof, it's just ludicrous. My mom and dad have been murdered, and it's just been sensationalized."
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Post by JackAMW on Feb 27, 2006 13:00:08 GMT -5
Well, for one, Mexico. Anyone that listens to their cops are headed down the wrong road. Corrupt. My Father in law was a Federale and boy did he have stories. Canadian police need to investigate. I would be looking for two or three people, two males and hispanic. The dead couple are Mexican extraction and wealthy. I suggest look into business dealings. The dead man had connections in Mexico and did business. It is unusual that they were killed in the resort, so it may have something to do with the resort as well. The killer has done it before and started with animals, possible butcher. The women were used by the killers somehow. Anyone that goes to Mexico puts their life into their own hands and should stay away until things get better there.
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Post by Sher on Feb 28, 2006 1:24:39 GMT -5
Coroner takes custody of slain Ont. couple
CTV.ca News Staff
The Ontario coroner's office assumed custody of the bodies of a Woodbridge, Ont. couple slain in Mexico after they arrived in Toronto on Monday, CTV Toronto reported.
The coroner will conduct its own forensic investigation before releasing the bodies to a funeral home.
Earlier Monday, deputy chief coroner Dr. Bonita Porter said she hoped the coroner's office could provide additional expertise or interpretation of the victims' injuries.
"Certainly it's not ideal," Porter said of the fact that a week has passed since the bodies were discovered. "I don't know what has been done in Mexico, so we'll just have to assess and do the best that we can once they arrive."
The coroner's office expects to report on its findings Tuesday.
Meanwhile, as confusion surrounding the double murders continues to cloud the investigation, Mexican authorities are set to issue extradition warrants for three Canadian women wanted in connection with the grisly killings, media reports say.
Mexican police say the principal evidence in the slaying is a trail of blood from the crime scene at a luxury resort near Cancun to the suspects' door, The Globe and Mail reports.
However, The Globe said the Mexican prosecutor making the claims could not confirm that information.
Quintana Roo state attorney Bello Melchor Rodriguez y Carrillo abruptly cancelled two news conferences over the weekend, claiming he needed more time to review information.
He maintains the suspects are three Canadian women, believed to be back in Canada, and that he has their names and photographs.
But CTV's Denelle Balfour, reporting from Cancun on Monday, said Mexican and Canadian reporters alike are frustrated that authorities have "not given us any information to back up this claim -- that the suspects involved are three Canadian women.
"There's now just a lot of frustrated journalists here trying to get some answers for the Canadian public."
Meanwhile, two Thunder Bay, Ont. women who were vacationing at the same resort as the slain couple, are frightened that Mexican officials will try to extradite them because they are considered suspects.
"They have clearly picked the wrong people," their lawyer Lee Baig told CTV Toronto.
"They're extremely upset. They're attempting to carry on their normal lives but this thing is obviously in the back of their minds throughout the entire day.
"They're not sleeping particularly well, they're not eating particularly well. They're having substantial difficulty."
Domenico Ianiero, 59, and his wife, Annunziata, 55, of Woodbridge, Ont., were found dead in their hotel room at the five-star Barcelo Maya Beach Resort on the Mayan Riviera early Feb. 20.
The couple, who were in Mexico for a daughter's wedding, were found with their throats slashed.
Mexican officials first characterized the killings as a professional-style hit, but later retracted that claim.
Speculation that the killings were related to organized crime has greatly upset the Ianiero family, who released a statement Sunday expressing their frustration.
"All the stories out there are all lies, anything being said is all speculated,'' the family statement said. "There is no proof, it's just ludicrous. My mom and dad have been murdered, and it's just been sensationalized."
On Saturday, Canadian authorities confirmed the RCMP had received a request from the Mexican authorities to get involved in the investigation, almost a week after the killing took place.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Austin Delaney
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Post by Sher on Feb 28, 2006 10:22:36 GMT -5
Cdn. coroner's office to examine slain tourists
CTV.ca News Staff
As forensic investigators in Canada examine the bodies of an Ontario couple who were brutally slain in Mexico, two Thunder Bay mothers who fear they may be suspects in the killings remain terrified at the prospect of being extradited.
The Ontario Coroner's office received the bodies of Domenico Ianiero, 59, and his wife, Annunziata, 55, on arrival at Toronto's Pearson International Airport on Monday.
The couple, who were in Mexico for their daughter's wedding, were found a week ago in their blood-soaked hotel room at the luxury Barcelo Maya Beach Resort near Playa del Carmen.
Their throats had been slashed.
Forensic experts in Toronto, who will examine the bodies during the next day or two, were not holding out much hope that they would learn much about the couple's fate.
"We hope we can provide any additional expertise or interpretation of the injuries, but at this point it's just all speculation," deputy chief coroner Dr. Bonita Porter told The Canadian Press Monday.
"Certainly it's not ideal," Porter said of the fact that a week has passed since the bodies were discovered. "I don't know what has been done in Mexico, so we'll just have to assess and do the best that we can once they arrive."
Meanwhile in Thunder Bay, two single mothers who fear they were inadvertently named as suspects have already reported to local police to clear their names.
The women, who stayed in a room close to the slain couple, have names that sound similar to the ones Mexican authorities say are prime suspects in their investigation.
Their lawyer, Lee Baig, said the women were "considerably nervous" at the prospect of being extradited.
"There was absolutely no connection," Baig told CTV's Canada AM Tuesday. "They don't know these people.
They were there for another wedding and while they have great sympathy with the family, they didn't have anything to do with the murders."
Baig told AM that he had "considerable problems" with the strength of the case.
"I'm used to what I consider to be proper police investigations and this one does not seem to fall into that category ... particularly as the crime scene itself was not kept secure," he said.
Baig said the women were not questioned during their stay in Mexico and had so far not been contacted by Mexican authorities.
"We've talked to lots of people who were at the hotel and nobody was questioned -- either there or at the airport or when they got back to Thunder Bay," Baig added.
Mexican officials have suggested that they will issue arrest warrants once their investigation is complete.
That could lead to an extradition hearing for the suspects and possibly a return to Mexico to face trial.
Strange twists
The investigation in Mexico has taken a number of strange twists in the last week, with Mexican authorities releasing various pieces of conflicting information about the suspects, who they continue to insist are three Canadian women no longer in Mexico.
Authorities originally characterized the killings as the work of a professional -- fueling speculation about a possible link to organized crime.
However, the state's attorney for the state of Quintana Roo later recanted that theory, saying he didn't think that was the case.
A number of critics have speculated that Mexican authorities rushed to blame Canadians so as not to damage tourism at the popular destination.
But authorities in Mexico say the media is to blame for the all the confusion.
"It's true sensationalism sells, but that's as far as that goes," Felipe Duran, a spokesman for the state's attorney's office, told reporters.
"We don't, and shouldn't, provide information on unconfirmed situations," he said. "We understand that people are bothered, but we are just following the leads in the investigation."
An RCMP liaison officer has been in touch with the family, Canadian authorities said, but it wasn't until Saturday -- six days after the bodies were found -- that police in Canada said they had been asked to join the investigation.
After the forensic examination, the victim's bodies will be released to Fratelli Vescio Funeral Homes in Woodbridge, Ont., the suburb northeast of Toronto where the Ianieros lived.
On Monday night, family members of the slain couple gathered at a home in Woodbridge and refused to speak to the media.
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