Mexican prosecutor says Ianiero probe at a standstill

A Mexican official leading the investigation into the murder of an Ontario couple at a Cancun-area resort said he has not closed the probe into their deaths, despite his reported statement that it is now up to Canadians to solve.

Bello Melchor Rodriguez y Carrillo, the attorney general for the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, previously told reporters in Cancun on Tuesday that his office has done all it can do to find answers in the slayings of Nancy and Domenic Ianiero.

The Ianieros, of Woodbridge, Ont.,were found with their throats cut in February at the plush Barcelo Maya beach resort. They had been in the country for their daughter's wedding, along with other family members.

But Rodriguez told the Canadian Press on Wednesday thathis investigation is at a standstill because he isawaiting information he requested from Canadian authorities two weeks ago.

But the prosecutor, who has made several contradictory statements about the case during the investigation,would not elaborate on the nature of the information.

'You don’t close the book'

Rodriguez said he recently met with Canadian authorities and learned they were having difficulties interviewing some witnesses. He also said the officials told him such investigations could take up to five years.

His latestcomments puzzled Canadian authorities, who said it remains a Mexican investigation because the crimes occurred in Mexico.The only thing Canadian police forces and thegovernment can do is assist the investigation and put pressure on Mexico to solve it.

York Region Police Chief Armand Labarge said Mexican investigatorshave been doing a diligent job, butadded thatin murder cases, policenever leave any stone unturned.

"This is the type of crime that you need to ensure that you are diligent in following up every lead, and you don’t close the book," Labarge told CBC News on Wednesday."You maintain an open attitude and leads come up sometimes years after that you can pursue."

The RCMP have said they will provide assistance to the case when needed.

Rodriguez said Tuesday the Ianiero family's lawyer, Edward Greenspan —who hassparred publicly with Rodriguez for several months —is more interested in suing the luxury hotel than helping to solve the case.

In the past, Greenspan called Rodriguez a "bald-faced liar" who is concerned only with promoting tourism in Mexico.

Greenspan maintains the prime suspect is a Mexican security guard who vanished after the bodies were discovered. In October, Rodriguez said DNA evidence had cleared the guard.

Earlier in the investigation, Rodriguez suggested two women from Thunder Bay, Ont.,who were at the resort at the same time as the Ianieros, were considered "suspicious persons."

But he then told CBC News in March that the two were never suspects in the Ianiero murders, only potential witnesses.