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 News from Around the Americas | January 2007 
MacKay Urges Thorough Probe of Mexico Death
 CBC News
| | Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay (left) with his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Kasuri in Islamabad. Pakistan opened talks with Canada with its plan to sow landmines at its border with Afghanistan expected to figure prominently. (Aamir Qureshi/AFP) |
Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay told his Mexican counterpart that the mysterious death of a Toronto-area man in Acapulco is "of great concern" to Ottawa, a spokesman for MacKay said Tuesday.
MacKay briefed the mother of Adam DePrisco about his Monday-night phone conversation with Patricia Espinosa, the new Mexican secretary of foreign affairs, Andrι Lamay told CBC News in an e-mail.
"Minister MacKay told his counterpart it is important that justice is done and urged her to see what can be done by Mexico to ensure that the state government carry out a thorough investigation," Lamay wrote.
Espinosa conveyed her government's condolences in DePrisco's death and said she would speak to state government officials about "a rapid and exhaustive" investigation, he added.
DePrisco, 19, of the Toronto suburb of Woodbridge, Ont., died while on vacation after visiting a popular nightclub in the resort town.
Mexican officials said he was the victim of a hit-and-run accident, while members of his family have said they believe he was beaten to death. His travelling companion, Marco Calabro, said DePrisco was thrown out of the bar after dancing with a local man's girlfriend.
Sandro Bellio, DePrisco's uncle, told reporters on Sunday that an autopsy conducted in Toronto shows that his nephew was probably hit by a vehicle. The family, however, continues to have many questions about his death.
Ontario's chief coroner, Dr. Barry McLellan, presented preliminary findings to relatives of DePrisco on Saturday, and Bellio said they have no plans to release the results just yet.
MacKay also told Espinosa that Canada is "eager to see progress" in the case of Dominic and Nancy Ianiero, Lamay said.
The Woodbridge couple were found slain last February in their luxury hotel room near Cancun, their throats slit. The case has yet to be solved.
Shortly after the bodies were found, Mexican authorities said two women from Thunder Bay, Ont., were prime suspects in the case. Officials have since named a former hotel security guard as a person of interest.
The two women, Cheryl Everall and Kimberly Kim, recently launched a website to clear their names and to demand that Ottawa issue a travel ban warning Canadians that parts of Mexico are not safe. |
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