Hair sample provided no clues in Ianiero case: lawyer

A hair found in the hand of Nancy Ianiero, one of two Ontarians murdered at a Cancun-area resort earlier this year, never yielded any DNA evidence, contrary to what Mexican authorities claimed at the time, Toronto criminal lawyer Edward Greenspan says.

Greenspan, who represents the family of Nancy and Dominic Ianiero, condemned the Mexican murder investigation into the slaying of the Ontario couple, rhyming off a lengthy list of basic policing procedures never completed.

The Ianieros were found Feb. 20 with their throats slit in the five-star Cancun-area resort where they were staying.

Greenspan has spent the past few weeks reviewing all the Mexican investigative files sent to him on the case.

The files revealed that a hair sample used to rule out the prime suspect, a security guard who disappeared shortly after the murder, was not properly collected and stored.

It took nearly two months before the hair sample was examined, Greenspan said.

As a result, forensic specialists could not extract sufficient biological elements to determine the DNA, the files showed.

The highly controversial Bello Melchor Rodriguez y Carrillo, the attorney general for the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, told reporters that investigators had compared DNA of the guard's mother to the hair, but found they didn't match.

In fact, Greenspan said the files show no record of a sample ever being taken from the guard's mother. There is no police report that the mother was ever contacted or interviewed,he said.

Plus, Greenspan says the attempt to extract DNA from the sample consumed the hair root and destroyed the sample.

Greenspan scolded the attorney general for his reported announcement last week that Mexican investigators have closed the books on the case, calling it an "irresponsible … dereliction of duty" in light of all the leads police failed to follow up on.

The Mexican attorney general later said the case had not been closed, but was at a standstill while waiting for information from Canadian authorities.

Rodriguez has made anumber of contradictory statements throughout the investigation.

"Right now, I'm trying to start this investigation going again," said Greenspan. "We're not going away. We're not going to give up. We're going to insist a proper investigation be done."

Greenspan also took the opportunity to invite Canada's federal justice minister, Vic Toews, to request that his Mexican counterpart personally take over the file.

He also urged the Department of Foreign Affairs to advise Canadians to not travel to the province of Quintana Roo, Mexico.