Canadian man found not guilty of killing B.C. woman in Mexico

A Canadian man accused of killing a woman from Dawson Creek, B.C., while both were in Mexico, has been found not guilty by a court in that country.

Mexican police found 23-year-old Kiara Agnew dead in a laundry room at a resort in Playa del Carmen south of Cancun, amid possible signs of violence, on March 3, 2023.

The family says she had travelled to the Riviera Maya shore with her boyfriend to celebrate a birthday.

Family members of the victim and the accused both confirmed the Canadian man's acquittal. Neither Mexican police nor Canadian authorities have named the now-acquitted man.

Agnew's aunt, Katlyn Levesque, described the emotional toll of Agnew's death and frustration with the 18-month-long legal process in a statement Thursday.

"This isn't fair. Period," Levesque wrote. "For 558 days, we have sat silently and patiently waiting. Each one of those days was spent living with trauma re-exposure. Waiting for closure, to be able to properly grieve our sweet girl's death. 

"Succumbed with insurmountable grief, rolling in questions like what led up to this ending? How?"

Tiana Agnew, Kiara's sister, told CBC that her family is shocked and disappointed. They also still have many questions about how the case was handled. 

"We feel as though we have lost Kiara all over again," she said.

"This grieving process has been absolutely horrible. The lack of answers has made it even worse. I'm going to try to hold onto how she was in life, but I won't be able to forget how she was left in death."

The acquitted man's mother told CBC in a phone interview that her son was flying back from Mexico to Canada on Thursday with his father and sister accompanying him.

"Elated. Absolutely elated" is how she described her feelings.

CBC News asked Global Affairs if it could confirm the acquittal as well.

"Global Affairs Canada is aware of a Canadian who was found not guilty of murder in Mexico," its emailed reply read. "Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed."