Mexico - Barbara McClatchie Andrews, 74, murdered, Merida, 30 Sept 2016

Barbara McClatchie Andrews / Facebook

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Velasquez says she was a resident of Merida, the capital of Yucatan. Her website says she supported a non-profit gallery, La galería In La’kech in Merida, which helps foster emerging artists

In a news release, the state prosecutor says the woman was found dead Friday morning on the side of the highway connecting Merida with Cancun.
The statement says the victim had been strangled to death.

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The body of an elderly Canadian expat woman who had been brutally strangled was found Friday morning Sept. 30 at km 14 of the Merida-Valladolid road near the shoulder.

The victim was face down, wearing blue jeans, black shirt and tennis shoes.

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At first it was thought that she had been run over, but as the investigations were progressing that possibility was discarded because there was no sign of braking or a vehicle or blood at the site.

According to initial investigations, the crime would have occurred elsewhere and the body was taken to be discarded there, four kilometers from the hacienda Teya and six from the entrance to Seyé.
Since there are no nearby homes or ranches or lights, investigators dismissed the possibility that the woman had been walking on the edge of the road.

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Investigators said the woman had been hit in the face and various parts of the body.

The autopsy revealed that the cause of death was mechanical asphyxia, ie, strangulation, plus she had blows to the face and several parts of the body.
According to initial reports, the body was found at 9 am at kilometer 14 of the Merida-Valladolid road in the Teya-Seyé stretch.

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Barbara McClatchie Andrews is a Canadian photojournalist and photographer. Her early work focused on cultural themes emerging from the developing world where she has travelled extensively.

Barbara's photo essays have been published in international journals including National Geographic and The World & I (worldandi.com). Her photographs have been exhibited in one-woman shows in Guatemala, Mexico, USA and Canada where Art Works Gallery in Vancouver represents her work (artworksbc.com). She has also participated in group shows in Canada, The United States, New Zealand, and France.

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WARNING: The following article contains links to Mexican news websites, which contain graphic images

MERIDA, MEXICO (NEWS 1130) – Mexican media report police have arrested a man in connection to the strangling death of a photographer from Maple Ridge.
Several media outlets based in Yucatán say State Police have arrested a man named Juan Carlos Lopez Martinez after the body of Barbara McClatchie Andrews was found in a ditch on the side of the highway connecting Mérida with Cancun on Friday.
Lopez Martinez is described as an ADO charter bus driver who was taking McClatchie Andrews from Cancun to her home in Mérida, which is a four hour drive. Attorney General Ariel Aldecua Kuk says McClatchie Andrews was the only passenger on the bus after the others got off.

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