The family of a Canadian woman who was badly beaten in a Mexican luxury resort hotel is standing by her husband and insists he was not involved in the brutal attack.
In a statement Wednesday, Sheila Nabb's family took the unusual step of issuing a statement to the media to counter what they said are allegations coming from Mexico that she was a victim of domestic violence.
Nabb, 37, was found unconscious with extensive facial injuries in an elevator of a five-star resort in Mazatlan, where she was staying with her husband, Andrew Nabb.
Nabb, who grew up in Nova Scotia but now lives in Calgary, remains in hospital in Mazatlan. She is now conscious and responsive, but her jaw is wired shut.
Doctors have decided to delay planned facial reconstruction surgery on Nabb because she has contracted pneumonia, her uncle, Robert Prosser, who lives in Kingston, N.S., confirmed to CBC News on Wednesday.
Prosser said he's been told the illness is common for people with a tracheotomy and she is being treated with antibiotics.
In a separate family statement, Nabb's brother Paul Giles said her husband was questioned by authorities immediately after the incident and was released when it "became apparent that he was innocent of any form of abuse."
"Anyone who has ever met Andrew will immediately disregard any and all accusations against him," Giles said in the statement. "They are the most loving couple that I know."
Giles also slammed phrasing of a Sinaloa state government news release that suggested the attack was a result of "violencia interna" — which Giles said a fluent Spanish-speaker told him should be translated as "internal violence" or "within a country" instead of domestic or family-related.
Surveillance videos could shed light
"The fact that the press release ended in "the ultimate tourist destination in Mexico" should give some indication as to the bias nature of the source," he said.
According to media reports from Mexico, the state attorney general has taken charge of the investigation.
The state's governor, Mario Lopez Valdez, spoke to reporters on Tuesday and suggested that there are surveillance videos from the hotel that should aid in the investigation.
He also said Andrew Nabb told authorities the door to the couple's hotel room was open when he woke up and found his wife missing.
An English-language statement released by a U.S.-based public relations agency representing the state government of Sinaloa made no mention of what might have been behind the attack, saying only that it was “an unfortunate and isolated event.”
The statement, emailed to CBC News, said the government views safety and security as “top priorities for tourists and citizens alike.”
“Hotels and resorts across Mexico adhere to the strictest of security standards which allow only guests to egress,’ the release said.
CANADIANS HURT RECENTLY IN MEXICO:
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Mexico has long been a popular destination for Canadians who love warm weather and sandy beaches. Every year, approximately 1.5 million Canadians travel to the Spanish-speaking country. However, dozens of Canadians have been killed or injured while visiting Mexico in the last few years.
Dominic And Nancy Ianiero
Feb. 20, 2006: Woodbridge, Ont., couple <a href="http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=dominic nancy ianiero&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCAQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ctv.ca%2FCTVNews%2FSpecials%2F20060310%2Ftimeline_ianiero_060310%2F&ei=58IdT9T-FIXogQfrs6y3Cg&usg=AFQjCNHMFxtsNZUAC2Ic7jSHl8ArFTgfXw" target="_hplink">Dominic and Nancy Ianiero </a>were found dead in a resort near Playa del Carmen. Both Dominic, 59, and Nancy, 55, were discovered with slashed throats. The couple was in Mexico to attend their daughter's wedding. (photo: CP PHOTO/Nathan Denette)
Adam DePrisco
Jan. 8, 2007: The following year, another person from Woodbridge, Ont. was killed in Mexico. <a href="http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/CTVNewsAt11/20070111/mexico_folo_070111/" target="_hplink">Adam DePrisco</a>, 19, was the victim of a hit-and-run according to local police. But his relatives said the teen was beaten outside of a nightclub. (photo: AP Photo/Gonzalo Perez)
Clifford Glasier
Jan. 17, 2007: Another Canadian was killed in Mexico less than two weeks after the death of DePrisco.<a href="http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/CTVNewsAt11/20070127/glasier_funeral_070127/" target="_hplink"> Clifford Glasier</a> from Chatham, Ont., was killed by a hit-and-run accident in Guadalajara, the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco. He died of injuries sustained from the accident.
Jeff Toews
May 6, 2007: Mexican authorities said that Alberta native <a href="http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20070508/cancun_attack_070509/" target="_hplink">Jeff Toews</a> sustained his injuries after he fell from a balcony of the resort he was staying at. However, Toews family believed Jeff was beaten. The 34 year old was left clinically brain dead following the incident. (photo credit: CP)
Christopher James Morin
Nov. 27, 2007: Authorities claimed that <a href="http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=045b054c-2344-4821-bffc-45b2d7795c9a&k=61315" target="_hplink">Christopher James Morin</a>, a 30 year old from Alberta, likely committed suicide in Cancun. But his girlfriend and family members said it was unlikely that Morin killed himself. He fell from a four-storey balcony and died from head trauma.
Bouabal Bounthavorn
May 15, 2008: <a href="http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/1830--another-canadian-tourist-killed-in-mexico" target="_hplink">Bouabal Bounthavorn</a>, a 29-year-old British Columbia resident, was shot three times in his Cabo San Lucas hotel by three men. Bounthavorn's girlfriend was also shot, but she survived the incident. Police believe the Vancouver-area resident was the victim of a botched robbery.
Renee Wathelet
Sept. 19, 2009: The body of a Montreal woman was found in an apartment in Isle Mujeres, an island near Cancun. Police said <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/renee-wathelets-last-words/article1293616/" target="_hplink">Renee Wathelet</a> was stabbed more than a dozen times. (photo credit: CP)
Kenneth Klowak
June 9, 2010: <a href="http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100614/100614_mexico?hub=CP24Home" target="_hplink">Kenneth Klowak</a>, a 43-year-old man from Ontario, was travelling in Mexico, near the Texas-Mexico border, when gunmen reportedly intercepted Klowak and the group he was driving with. He was killed by the gunmen after the group refused to stop.
Giannina Di Roberto
Sept. 10, 2010: <a href="http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Canada/20100912/mexico-fall-100912/" target="_hplink">Giannina Di Roberto</a>, a 19-year-old woman from Ontario, was travelling with her boyfriend in Cancun when she fell from the seventh floor of a hotel.
Daniel Dion
Oct. 30, 2010: <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/883701" target="_hplink">Daniel Dion</a>, an Ottawa-area man in his 50s, was found dead near Acapulco, inside the trunk of a rental car. He was on a business trip to sell purses made from recycled material and disappeared on Oct. 22. (photo credit: CP)
Explosion At The Grand Princess Riviera Hotel
Nov. 14, 2010: Just a few weeks before winter break, <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/01/24/f-mexico-grand-riviera-princess--hotel-explosion-background.html" target="_hplink">an explosion at a resort in Cancun</a> claimed the lives of five Canadians. Mexican officials suggested the explosion could have been caused by gas buildup from a nearby swamp. (photo credit: CP)
Joel St. Tierre
May 3, 2011: <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/05/12/canadian-killed-mexico.html" target="_hplink">Joel St. Tierre</a>, the owner of an air conditioning company, was shot in the head in Mexico City.
Leonard Francis Schell
May 30, 2011: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/06/08/leonard-francis-schell-canadian-mexico-stabbed-to-death_n_873344.html" target="_hplink">A satellite TV installer was found dead at home</a> by his Mexican wife. According to a local report, Elba Ruiz Castro found a trail of blood leading to her house on her way back. She found Leonard Francis Schell's body inside their home. According to reports he was stabbed 25 times. (photo credit: CP)
Judith Zena Baylis
June 27, 2011: <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/07/02/canadian-killed-mexico-san-miguel.html" target="_hplink">Judith Zena Baylis</a>, a 64-year-old woman from Ottawa, was found dead inside her home in Atotonilco (a suburb of San Miguel). She was reportedly stabbed about 20 times.
Ximena Osegueda
Dec. 13, 2011: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/01/06/ximena-osegueda-student-dead-mexico_n_1188255.html" target="_hplink">Ximena Osegueda</a>, a Canadian citizen who was born in Mexico, went missing in December. Osegueda's brother found her body in the bushes near a beach in Huatulco.
Robin Wood
Jan. 3 2012: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/01/03/robin-wood-salt-spring-island-bc-senior_n_1182322.html" target="_hplink">Robin Wood</a> from Salt Spring Island, B.C. was shot and killed after he confronted two robbers who were trying to break into his friend's house. The 67-year-old retiree was staying in Melaque, approximately 200 kilometres from Puerto Vallarta.
Salih Abdulaziz Sahbaz
Jan. 15, 2012: A Canadian citizen originally from Iraq was shot and killed in the city of Culiacan. According to reports, <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/news/gang+cartel+contact+gunned+down+Mexico/6013177/story.html" target="_hplink">Salih Abdulaziz Sahbaz</a> was carrying both a current and an expired Canadian passport. There are media reports that Sahbaz was involved with the United Nations gang in the Vancouver area. (photo credit: CP)
Sheila Nabb
Jan. 22, 2012: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/01/23/sheila-nabb-of-calgary-mexico-beating_n_1224026.html" target="_hplink">Sheila Nabb</a> of Calgary was found beaten inside a luxury Mexican hotel. Nabb's uncle told QMI Agency that his niece was in a medically induced coma and that she had multiple broken bones. (photo credit: Facebook)
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First Posted: 01/25/2012 5:10 pm Updated: 01/26/2012 4:24 pm