Costa Rica Murder
Murder of Canadian woman investigated in Costa Rica
PUERTO JIMENEZ, Costa Rica — The death of a Canadian woman is treated as a homicide by local authorities, Costa Rican media reported Saturday.
According to the A.M. Costa Rica — a local English-language newspaper — investigators said signs of violence were evident on 53-year-old Kimberly Blackwell’s body. The newspaper said, “the woman appeared to have been hit at various parts of her body.”
Blackwell’s body was discovered on the patio of her home outside Puerto Jimenez this week.
The newspaper reported that neighbours and friends of Blackwell, who was originally from Whitehorse, Yukon, and operated a high-end chocolate company in Costa Rica, suspected she had been strangled. An autopsy is pending.
Foreign Affairs officials confirmed that a Canadian had died in that country and were providing consular assistance to the family.
Although there are no official warnings in place, Foreign Affairs advises that all Canadian travellers to Costa Rica exercise a high degree of caution in that country. “Visitors should be vigilant at all times when travelling in the country due to high levels of crime,” a notice on the department’s website reads.
Blackwell’s death comes in a week that has seen numerous deaths of Canadians in popular sunny destinations.
A Canadian teenager was killed in the Dominican Republic earlier this week. The victim, from Ontario, was on a family vacation when he was beaten to death at a popular tourist resort. As many as five other Canadians are being held for the teen’s death.
On Thursday, two Canadians were killed in Mexico by a rogue wave.
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