Another Canadian Beaten

chance · Post by **chance** » Wed May 09, 2007 1:11 pm

Wed, May 9, 2007

Albertan 'beaten' in Mexico
UPDATED: 2007-05-09 02:01:59 MST

Brother claims 'coverup' as man clings to life

By ELIZA BARLOW, SUN MEDIA

EDMONTON -- A Grande Prairie man is hovering near death in a Cancun hospital and his brother rejects claims by Mexican police it was caused by an accident.

"This was no accident," scoffed Murray Toews in an interview with Sun Media from Cancun, where his brother Jeff Toews, 33, is clinging to life.

"He was beaten up bad. But in this country, everything is always an accident, right? It's all about keeping the tourist dollars."

Murray Toews says Jeff was savagely beaten early Monday in an attack on the grounds of Cancun's Moon Palace Golf and Spa resort, between the nightclub and the hotel.

Jeff, the father of a three-year-old son, Dawson, was on a getaway at the resort with his wife Natalie and several other couples.

Jeff was going back and forth between his room and the club during the night, but after one trip, he didn't return.

A security guard told Natalie something was wrong.

Gregg Toews, Jeff's identical twin brother, rushed to the scene and performed CPR on his injured brother until an ambulance arrived.

Murray was not optimistic about Jeff's chances.

"He's hanging on to life support as we speak. He's in an induced coma with severe brain damage. It doesn't look good."

A group of Jeff's family from the Grande Prairie area has flown to his bedside.

The family is working with Canadian consular officials to get Jeff on a medivac flight back to Canada.

Murray believes the security guards who apparently found Jeff may have been involved.

But the top prosecutor for the state of Quintana Roo says the incident was an accident and there's no evidence of foul play.

"He wasn't beaten. He fell from a second storey of the hotel where he was staying," said Rodriguez y Carrillo.

"That's the report that we have from the security guard from the hotel, and the report we're getting from the hospital, too."

The prosecutor later said Jeff was "running to a second floor, lost control and fell."

But Murray slammed that explanation as a "coverup."

He also said Moon Palace wasn't being co-operative.

A call to the resort from Sun Media wasn't returned.

In Grande Prairie, Jeff Toews' colleagues at the oilfield firm Bonnett's Energy Services Trust, where he's a salesman and Murray is the CEO, are pulling for him.

"It's scary, especially when it happens on a resort. Everybody's wondering what happened," said chief financial officer Kelvin Torgerson.

Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Alain Cacchione said Canadian consular officials "have been in touch with local authorities to ensure they are aware of the case and conducting an investigation into the cause of this individual's injuries."

An RCMP officer in Mexico City was also slated to visit the Toews family.
Previous story: Accused says cops beat him
Next story: Transit sides set to meet

michelle/tyler · Post by **michelle/tyler** » Wed May 09, 2007 5:34 pm

Sad to hear hope the truth comes out of this one.

Jennybean · Post by **Jennybean** » Wed May 09, 2007 7:02 pm

As of this morning he was declared clinically brain dead, and the family was in preparation to airlift him back to Canada for possible organ donation.

After seeing how badly the attorney general of the state of Quintana Roo has bungled the Iainero case from start to present, I have zero faith in anything the man says about this one. Or any other case involving tourists in the Cancun area.

Nor do I have any faith that this government, just like the one preceding it, will actually DO anything to get the answers.

Link

ronald · Post by **ronald** » Wed May 09, 2007 7:33 pm

Accidents and acts of violence occur everywhere in the world at all times, including in our own backyards. The sad part is in that whatever the reason for this event, in all these 'happenings', we lose a loved one.

It is so sad to hear of a totally spoiled vacation for the entire group of friends that went, the grandparents and his three year old son back home who will never get to enjoy his fathers company.

It wasn't to long ago that we had a pretty large thread going here questioning how secure we felt when visiting Mexico, and the majority of us wrote that while we understood the risk, we were careful of the company we picked and the places we visited. Mexican Authorities are suggesting that "he fell from a second storey of the hotel where he was staying".

In Canada and the U.S. we have passed legislation to ensure that buildings meet codes that are in place to ensure the materials are safe and don't fall apart, AND also to protect ourselves from events that we might try while in some altered state. (eg: jumping from balcony to balcony while drunk). Not knowing whom to believe, I quote from todays Star Phoenix (page C5) here where it states 'the attorney general of Quintana Roo said investigatrs believe the victim was consuming alcohol and possibly doing drugs, according to statements provided by friends who were with him that night....toxicology tests are pending....becasue of the state he was in, he lost control and fell'.. Who knows....tragedy either way.

I guess that future considerations of our wonderful vacation spots should also include a closer inspection of the resorts we visit, trying in some way to ensure that they are built to appropriate safety standards.

femme · Post by **femme** » Wed May 09, 2007 8:21 pm

consulate officials in mexico should speek up a little louder or perhaps just have the prime minister get off his skinny a$$ and go pay calderon a little visit in order to get the correct friginn answers to these hainus crimes .

Plus4 · Post by **Plus4** » Wed May 09, 2007 10:55 pm

We do not know for sure if Jeff Towes lies in hospital near death from a crime or an accident ...we do know something happened in Mexico and because of so many past unanswered questions ... unsolved cases and lack of truth.... Canadian families... Canadian citizens.... have like Jenny says..No faith in either Government ...

We all know there are crimes committed and accidents happening all over the World and in our own Countries...

We can not forget Kristen...
Link
Were there answers given in her case..... Was her case solved?
Why are we hearing about so many deaths...accidental or not...... happening in Mexico to Canadians...We do not hear stories like this coming out of Cuba or the Dominican and just as many Canadians travel to those Countries each year...

Just curious....

and yes

I ..We... will still travel to Mexico end of the year... but I go with the knowledge that if something happens to me or my family ... do not expect to get a lot of help after from suppose to be Authorites...

_________________
No Child without a Smile !
Sylvia (catnhat)

charlieb · Post by **charlieb** » Thu May 10, 2007 6:33 am

We all know several things: First, for the most part, Mexican officials are corrupt or corruptable. Second, Mexican officials are dependant on the US and Canada for tourists and third, Mexico is dependant on the cash sent back to Mexico from Mexicans living in the U.S. $11 BILLION per year. If anything were to be done to upset this, Mexican officials would be in a world of hurt. Of course they must deny anything like responsibility or liability. Blame it all on the drunk Gringo. Chuck...

chuck · Post by **chuck** » Thu May 10, 2007 4:53 pm

I have been replying to a bunch of posts on Tripadvisor (Playa del Carmen forum) on this subject and have been raked over the coals about my opinions. These things are awful but it happens everywhere. Some posters feel a need to stir this matter. I have no fear when visiting Mexico, either coasts.

tandr2 · Post by **tandr2** » Fri May 11, 2007 1:31 pm

In today's paper...

EDMONTON -- The brothers of an Alberta man critically injured during a holiday at a Mexican resort could barely restrain tears yesterday as they told reporters that Jeff Toews had been declared brain dead at an Edmonton hospital.

"We've gone ahead and carried out the family's wishes -- and Jeff's -- to donate his organs," said Murray Toews.

"Somebody's going to get my brother's heart," said Greg Toews, Jeff's identical twin.

"Whoever gets that heart, it's going to be full of love and joy and a whole lot of laughter."

Toews, 33, of Grande Prairie, Alta., was on vacation in Cancun with his wife and nine other couples from northern Alberta when he was injured after visiting a nightclub on the resort grounds Sunday night.
He was brought to Edmonton Wednesday night on life support on a medivac flight.

LATEST IN A STRING

His family claims his severe head and back injuries came from a severe beating, possibly from hotel security guards.

But Mexican officials say Toews had been drinking heavily and fell from the second floor of the resort.

The family doesn't believe it was an accident and is accusing Mexican authorities of a coverup.

It's the latest in a string of violent incidents involving Canadian tourists in Mexico

michelle/tyler · Post by **michelle/tyler** » Fri May 11, 2007 6:43 pm

Bless his soul for his unselfish act in organ donation.

Plus4 · Post by **Plus4** » Fri May 18, 2007 2:09 am

I am having a hard time believing Jeff was doing Cocaine and jumped from a balcony...It is so much easier to believe that he was beaten but it is not so...

Heard on a local news show tonight that yes..Jeff did have cocaine in his system and that he did jump....
So very very sad..

btw
I could not find tonights news story on the web to confirm what we heard...

northmb · Post by **northmb** » Fri May 18, 2007 2:09 pm

The news seems to be very low key on this story. I, too, had heard that there was cocaine in his system but i had only caught the tale end of the broadcast. That was last week I think or the start of this one. I waited to hear more but never heard anything else.

Either which way - truly a tragedy.

katnsocal · Post by **katnsocal** » Sat May 19, 2007 6:35 am

It truly is a tragedy that that precious little boy will never really know his Daddy.

It is amazing how the family and friends always want to blame Mexico, the government and the corruption and then the truth comes out that the person (victim) was either drunk or under the influence of drugs or both. Not that there is not a history of corruption and cover ups in Mexico but this is not the first person that it has turned out was totally at fault, after the family, media, etc. had blasted the hotel, security guards, police, and govt. Most of the travel websites end up full of warnings not to go to Mexico because of what happened to so and so.

Sometimes people just don't use their heads when they are on vacation but most people don't go on vacation and just decide out of the clear blue to try a little cocaine just for the fun of it. They leave behind the family and friends who are totally shocked and clueless to the activities they had been engaging in.

Such a waste of a young life and a real tragedy for the family left behind to deal with.

Ann · Post by **Ann** » Sat May 19, 2007 2:37 pm

The latest I've read, is the coroner in Alberta says his head injury was consistent with that of a fall.

Plus4 · Post by **Plus4** » Sat May 19, 2007 3:15 pm

Ann that is what I heard too...

prostogau · Post by **prostogau** » Wed May 23, 2007 1:42 pm

Looks like there's about to me more canadians beaten:

GO DUCKS!

DELETED · Post by **DELETED** » Wed May 23, 2007 4:04 pm

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DELETED · Post by **DELETED** » Wed May 23, 2007 4:05 pm

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sonofdob · Post by **sonofdob** » Thu May 24, 2007 10:48 pm

actually...more canadians on the Ducks than the Senators...so if in fact the Ducks win (I hope they do) it will be the Canadians winning...I guess with 68% of the players in the league being Canadian it looks like we win pretty much every year...sonofdob.

winterpegman · Post by **winterpegman** » Thu May 24, 2007 11:38 pm

There's more to the teams than just the players - food suppliers, vendors, restaurants nearby, bars...the list go on for those that benefit from a team....GO Sens!!!

I'll support any Canadian - Based team over an American one(except for Edmonton and Montreal!) any day.

Another Canadian Beaten

Update

consulate officials