The murders of two foreigners shook the expat community in Yucatan in 2016. The events occurred in the last quarter of the year, and in both cases the victims were Canadians. They had long resided in the municipality of Progreso and the Yucatecan capital, respectively.
The State Police of Investigation made prompt arrests in both cases, and the accused are prisoners in the Center of Social Reinsertion of the State, with each facing criminal proceedings for the crime of qualified homicide.
Murder of a photographer
The first case, which had international repercussions, was the murder of photographer Barbara McClatchie Andrews, whose body was discovered on Friday, September 30, lying in the undergrowth at kilometer 14 of the Mérida-Cancún road.
Andrews, 74, who was a photographer for National Geographic, died of suffocation due to strangulation.
The body of the Canadian was found with her face disfigured and blows in other parts of the body because of the savage attack she received, according to results of the necropsy performed by the Forensic Medical Service of the State Attorney General.
The Canadian lived in Merida for more than a decade and had a photo gallery in her home, called “In La’Kech”, in the Historic Center.
The photographer had exhibited her work in Canada, US, France, New Zealand, Guatemala and Mexico, as well as visiting 53 countries as part of her photographic work for NatGeo.
The State Police of Investigation made an arrest in less than a week of the accused of the murder of the Canadian. The detainee was ex-soldier Juan Carlos L. of Veracruz, who served as a driver of the ADO bus line.
The motive of the crime was robbery.
The body of Canadian Barbara McClatchie Andrews was found along the Merida-Cancun highway. (PHOTO: sipse.com)
Alleged crime of passion
The other murder of a foreigner happened in November 2016, and it allegedly was a crime of passion between two Canadians.
At about 9:00 pm on Sunday, November 13, now-accused Brian Slater was reportedly drinking with the victim, Roger Corbett, and Steven V. M. in a house located in Chicxulub Harbor.
The now indicted and the victim went to the kitchen and allegedly began discussing why one of them wanted to have sex with the other.
Slater is accused of attacking the victim Corbett with a knife, causing injuries to his chest and abdomen and leading to his death.
Agents of the Municipal Police of Progreso and SSP detained the defendant for alleged homicide.
Source: sipse.com