Canadian couple murdered in Mexico

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Examination of slain couple to take days: coroner

Tue. February. 28 2006 2:11 PM ET

Ontario's chief coroner said Tuesday that the examination of a Canadian couple slain in Mexico will likely take two days. "A forensic examination of the bodies will begin today," Dr. Barry McLellan said in a statement. "Some of the forensic tools available in such circumstances include x-ray, forensic autopsy, the gathering of trace evidence and toxicology." The Ontario Coroner's office received the bodies of Domenico Ianiero, 59, and his wife, Annunziata, 55, at 6.30 p.m. ET Monday, after they arrived at Toronto's Pearson International Airport. 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. Earlier, Toronto forensic experts 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. CTV's Austin Delaney told CTV Toronto that the victim's bodies had already been embalmed, sparking fears that important forensic evidence had already been washed away.

Thunder Bay
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."

Harper
Meanwhile, some politicians are calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to get involved and reason with the Mexican authorities. "Where is Stephen Harper? What is he waiting for?," demanded Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis Tuesday. "He (needs to) get on the phone to (President) Fox and say 'what the hell is going on?' These are Canadian people," Karygiannis told CTV Newsnet. 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