A woman who was badly beaten at a resort in Mexico has been identified as a Calgary resident who is originally from Nova Scotia.
Sheila Nabb, 37, was found beaten and lying in a pool of blood in a hotel elevator on Saturday. She was on vacation in the popular Mazatlan tourist area with her husband Andrew at the time.
Sheila's aunt Jean Prosser, who lives in Kingston, N.S., confirmed Nabb was attacked and is currently in serious condition and has been placed in an induced coma.
She told CTVNews.ca the family had hoped to fly Sheila home within a few days to continue her treatment in Canada, but has been told by her surgeon it will be several weeks before she can be moved. However, the family has received some good news, Prosser said.
"They did a CT scan and it showed just a little bit of brain swelling and so we're hoping all of that goes well and Thursday they're going to wire her jaw and do the surgery," she said in a phone interview. According to reports virtually every bone in Nabb's face was broken in the horrific attack.
Prosser said Nabb's husband's father has flown to Mexico to be with them.
"It's hard. Her mom finds it hard, her sister finds it extremely hard and it's really, really hard on (Andrew)," she said.
"We're just doing the best we can."
The family has no idea why Nabb, who works as an office manager at a chiropractic clinic in Calgary, was attacked.
Foreign Affairs officials are revealing few details about the incident, but say they are assisting the young woman and her family.
"Our thoughts are with the badly injured Canadian and her family during this difficult time," said a statement emailed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
"Our officials in Mexico are providing consular assistance to her and her family and are in contact with Mexican authorities."
Mexican news website noroeste.com reports Nabb was discovered severely beaten in the elevator of the Hotel Riu in Punta Cerritos. The resort is located in Mexico's Mazatlan region, a popular tourist destination.
According to the site, Nabb may have been assaulted in a hotel room and then dragged to the elevator. She was reportedly turned away by two private clinics before she was taken to a hospital in serious condition.
Citing police reports, noroeste.com says the woman is about five feet, eight inches tall, with a light complexion and brown hair. She was wearing a hotel wristband on her right hand when other hotel guests found her in the elevator.
Police are said to be tightlipped about the investigation, and Canada's Foreign Affairs department would release few details on Monday.
"To protect the private and personal information of the individual concerned, further details on this case cannot be released."
There have been more reports of violence involving Canadians visiting Mexico in recent weeks.
Salih Abdulaziz Sahbaz, a Canadian citizen originally from Iraq, was gunned down last week in an area of Mexico known for drug violence.
Last month, the body of Ximena Osequeda, a Vancouver resident and student, was found on a beach in Huatulco, south of Acapulco, along with that of her Mexican boyfriend.
And Robin Wood of Salt Spring Island, B.C., was killed when he confronted two robbery suspects.
The Canadian government has issued travel warnings for Mexico due to increasing gang and drug-related violence, and is advising Canadians to avoid crossing into Mexico by land.
