Family of man killed in Mexico pan embassy

The grieving nephew of a Canadian businessman killed in Mexico says embassy officials have not helped the family speed up the process of formally identifying his uncle.

The remains of Daniel Dion, 51, were found late last month in the trunk of his burned-out rental car in an unpopulated region of Guerrero state.

Dion was last seen at a business meeting in the resort town of Acapulco. His Carleton Place, Ont.-based firm, Ecopurse, sold handbags that were manufactured largely by inmates of state prisons.

Dion's nephew Shanny Bolduc went to Mexico with other relatives in search of their loved one and ultimately helped lead police to the grim discovery.

Now the family is waiting for DNA results to confirm what they already feel is true that the bones inside the trunk were those of Dion. A watch found in the car resembled one worn by Dion, they have said.

But Bolduc says they have been told by Mexican authorities that the process will take two to three months, because only one lab in the country can do the analysis.

'An exceptional case'

He says Canadian consular officials refused to make an official request on behalf of the family for a DNA sample to take back to Canada for testing.

"Seems to me that this was an exceptional case, as they kept saying they have never got such an extreme case, therefore justifying an 'exception,' no?" Bolduc wrote in an email to The Canadian Press.

"Anyhow I realize now embassies and consulates are good to change your passport in case of need and that's about it and 'promote' Canada in their area of business."

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs, Alain Cacchione, said Canadian officials "are engaged with Mexican authorities to ensure appropriate and timely identification procedures are being followed" in the Dion case.

However, he added, "It should also be noted that the Government of Canada cannot interfere in the judicial affairs of a sovereign country."

Guerrero state, home to the popular resorts of Acapulco and Ixtapa, was rocked over the weekend by the discovery of 18 bodies in a mass grave. Police have confirmed six of the bodies were from a group of Mexican travellers kidnapped in late September. The deaths have been linked to drug cartel wars.

A Mexican senator told local media this week that 40 per cent of Ixtapa tourist bookings had been cancelled this winter, mostly by Canadians spooked by the spate of violence.