A 56-year-old Canadian man stabbed to death in Chile is being remembered by friends and family as an experienced traveller with a “zest for life.”
Peter Winterburn, a former researcher at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, was identified as the victim of a fatal stabbing Friday.
Winterburn was on vacation with his wife and daughter in the port city of Valparaiso, Chile, when he was approached by two men who demanded his belongings. He and his wife, Michelle, had recently moved to Santiago, Chile, where he was returning to work in the mining industry.
In a statement to CTV News, Winterburn’s wife said her husband had an “amazing zest for life” and enjoyed many adventurous activities, including skiing and scuba diving, which they did as a family.
“I could not have asked for a better father for the girls,” said Winterburn’s wife. “He will forever be in our hearts.”
In a Facebook post Friday, UBC’s Mineral Deposit Research Unit paid tribute to Winterburn calling him a “compelling force” during his time at the school.
“While at UBC, he implemented a widely recognized and successful research program in exploration geochemistry, he contributed to student and industry training, graduated five MSc students and was mentoring four other MSc candidates towards completion,” the post read.
Before his time at UBC, Winterburn worked for more than 17 years in the minerals industry for AngloAmerican and Vale.
The research unit said Winterburn most recently worked on pioneering efforts in the application of genomic methods in mineral exploration. He left UBC in January to return to Vale, at their location in Santiago.
Craig Hart, a former colleague of Winterburn’s, described him as “a bit of a character” with a good sense of wit.
One of Winterburn’s daughters who was in Vancouver at the time of the attack told CTV News she is now on her way to Chile to be with the family.
A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada said consular officials are providing assistance to the family and are in contact with local authorities to gather information on the incident.
