Kiara Agnew: Boyfriend arrested following death of Canadian woman during her birthday trip to Mexico resort

Graeme Massie
·2 min read
Man arrested after death of Canadian woman Kiara Agnew at resort in Mexico (CBC)
Man arrested after death of Canadian woman Kiara Agnew at resort in Mexico (CBC)

A man has been arrested following the death of a Canadian woman at a resort in Mexico.

Prosecutors say that Kiara Agnew, 23, was found dead at the Grand Sunset Princess Resort in the town of Playa del Carmen, south of Cancun, on Friday.

The suspect, who the Canadian government’s Global Affairs department confirmed to the Daily Mail is Agnew’s boyfriend Ryan Friesen, is being investigated in connection with the death according to Mexican prosecutors.

Agnew was in Mexico with Friesen, 26, to celebrate her upcoming 24th birthday. She was from the town of Dawson Creek in northeast British Columbia. Friesen is a hockey player for the Dawson Creek Canucks.

“I didn’t want it to be true — I still don’t want it to be true,” Agnew’s aunt Katlyn Levesque told CBC News.

SSP Solidaridad said in a statement that the Secretariat of Public Security agency took the man now identified as Friesen into custody after “a lifeless woman was found with possible marks of violence in a hotel located in the Xcalacoco neighbourhood.”

Agnew worked at the Lake View Credit Union, which has an office in Dawson Creek.

“All at Lake View Credit Union are mourning the loss of our teammate and friend, Kiara Agnew,” the credit union wrote in a Facebook post. “We send our love and faith to all others who have been impacted.”

Ms Levesque said that the family was still waiting for autopsy results to confirm the cause of Agnew’s death.

“Kiara loved to travel, she has wanted to travel since she’s been little,” she added. “She was really excited about [the trip] ... she had a heart of gold. She was vibrant, courageous, driven.”

Global Affairs Canada previously said in a statement it was aware of the death of a Canadian citizen, and of the arrest of a Canadian citizen.

“Consular officials are providing consular assistance to the families and are in contact with local authorities,” said spokesperson Marilyne Guèvremont. “Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed.”