Ontario teen's death in Mexico no accident, family says

Last Updated: Wednesday, January 10, 2007 | 5:30 PM ET

CBC News

Relatives of a 19-year-old Ontario man who died in Mexico over the weekend believe he was beaten to death, even though police say he was hit by a car.

Adam DePrisco of Woodbridge, Ont., died of head injuries in an Acapulco hospital Monday while on vacation in the coastal town.

"In Mexico, they're saying it's a hit and run," said his uncle Sandro Bellio. "But in the truth of the matter, it wasn't a hit and run."

"Even the doctors there said this is not a car accident. There were no wounds on the body," said Bellio, who travelled to Mexico when he heard of his nephew's injuries.

DePrisco visited a popular nightclub with a friend Saturday night, but was kicked out of the establishment early Sunday morning when a Mexican man became upset about the Ontario man dancing with a local woman. Newspaper reports say the woman was the Mexican man's girlfriend.

DePrisco's friend, who discovered him injured, claims he was beaten — a belief shared by his family. His uncle, Bellio, says hospital officials told him the man's injuries weren't consistent with being hit by a vehicle.

Mexican police, however, say DePrisco was struck by a vehicle in a hit and run on a busy road after he left the club.

First vacation alone for DePrisco

His aunt, Pia Pannozzi, told CBC News he had worked two jobs to pay for the vacation, the first he had taken without his family, and called home the day before he died.

"The mother said: 'Please be careful. Don't go into the water. It's dangerous. Don't do this. Don't do that.' 'Yes, Mom. I worked so hard for my money. I just want to enjoy my two weeks of vacation.'

"He never did."

Pannozzi said the family is in shock, and trying to put the pieces together of what happened.

The family fears no one will ever be held responsible in the case, whether his death is determined to be the cause of a hit and run or an assault.

DePrisco's body is expected to be returned to Canada either Wednesday or Thursday.

A Foreign Affairs spokesperson said the department is aware of the death, but called it an isolated incident, and is not warning against travel to Mexico.

Woodbridge couple killed in Mexico last year

Questions surrounding how he died invite comparisons with the murder last February of Domenic and Nancy Ianiero, a couple from Woodbridge who were stabbed to death at a luxury resort hotel near Cancun.

The Mexican investigation into the unsolved murders has featured a number of bizarre twists.

An outspoken lead investigator has backpedalled on much of the released information, such as initially naming two Canadian tourists who stayed at the same resort as suspects.

Those two Thunder Bay, Ont., women — Cheryl Everall and Kimberly Kim — recently launched a website as part of their campaign to clear their names.

The site also urges Canadians to be careful about travelling to parts of Mexico, warning that its justice system offers little protection, and asks the federal government to issue a travel ban or advisory.