Canadian killed in Mexico was stabbed 23 times: police

Duane Lang is shown in this undated photo.

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico -- Authorities are releasing more details about the horrific death of yet another Canadian while on vacation in Mexico.

The latest victim -- identified as Duane Joseph Lang, 46, of Regina -- was stabbed 23 times in an apartment in Puerto Vallarta, local authorities said Tuesday.

Puerto Vallarta police spokesman Adan Leyva says friends and neighbours couldn't get a hold of Lang for several days and asked his landlord to check up on him on July 30.

"(Lang) hadn't answered the phone for days," Leyva told The Canadian Press in a phone interview in Spanish.

The landlord then let himself into the apartment and came across Lang lying face-up in a pool of blood in the bedroom, Leyva said.

"He found blood spattered everywhere, things all over the place, a knife, and immediately called the police," said Leyva.

It was evident the body had been there for a few days because of a strong odour, Leyva said.

The investigation is being handled by the state public prosecutor.

An autopsy completed on July 30 determined that Lang had been dead for 48-72 hours, said Andres Zuniga, a spokesman at the Jalisco Forensic Science Institute.

"He had 23 wounds from a sharp object and died as a result of those injuries," said Zuniga.

He said the warm weather made the forensic investigation difficult, as some samples had decomposed by the time the team arrived on the scene.

Lang's body is still being held in Mexico, said Zuniga.

There was evidence of a struggle and the lights were on, said Zuniga, which suggests that the attack happened during the night or early morning.

Leyva noted that this wasn't the first time a foreign national was found dead in that very apartment.

"A few years ago the landlord went through a similar experience with another tenant," said Leyva.

He said although the neighbourhood isn't considered dangerous, it does have an active night life.

A number of Canadians have been involved in violent attacks in Mexico over the years.

Earlier this year, Sheila Nabb, of Calgary, had to have extensive facial reconstruction after she was severely beaten while vacationing at a five-star hotel in Mazatlan.

In 2010, a 62-year-old man from B.C. living in Mexico was stabbed to death in Puerto Vallarta in a presumed robbery. That same year businessman Daniel Dion's body was found in the trunk of his burned-out rental car in the state of Guerrero.

In 2007, Mexican police said 19-year-old Adam DePrisco was killed after stumbling in front of a car while drunk, although his family and friends claimed he was beaten to death.

Domenic and Nancy Ianiero, of Woodbridge, Ont., were found with their throats slit in February 2006 at a resort near Playa del Carmen, where they had gone to celebrate their daughter's marriage.