Mexico - Canadian, Craig Harrison, 65, stabbed, body washed up on beach, Cabo Pulmo,5 Sept 2020

[dotr]

BLOOD UNDER THE SUN: Canadian wine merchant murdered in Mexico | Toronto Sun
Sep 11, 2020 •

Canadian Craig Harrison (pictured here with his wife Lori) was murdered in Mexico.
''Wealthy wine merchant, hotelier and realtor Craig Harrison’s tropical dream became a nightmare on the beaches of Mexico.

The 65-year-old — originally from South Africa and who later settled in Vancouver — was found washed up on the sandy beaches in Cabo Pulmo National Park last Saturday night.''
''Harrison had disappeared on Aug. 29, according to Mexican media reports.

Cops say he had been stabbed in the chest before he was thrown into the Gulf of California. His killer or killers loaded him down with a backpack full of rocks to make any chance of survival impossible.''

''So far, cops are not offering any motive in the slaying. His car was also missing.

Before moving with his wife, Lori, to chic Cabo San Lucas in 1997, Harrison ran a successful wine import business in the Vancouver area.

He immigrated to Canada in his 20s and his fortune was made when he won the right to distribute and import popular Corona beer in western Canada.

He later began investing in Los Cabos vacation properties in the 1980s.

After moving to Baja California Sur, Harrison and Lori worked in real estate and ran a vacation rental business.

On his real estate web page, Harrison wrote: “My extensive experience in the wine industry told me that the old adage ‘Life’s too short to drink cheap wine’ holds true in vacationing as well. Like a fine vintage claret, our Bed & Breakfast offers something unique for the discerning traveler, looking for quiet, relaxed luxury — far enough from the madding crowd, but sufficiently close to drop in and partake when the desire is there.”

Lori Harrison added: “In my travels throughout the world, I have at times been fortunate enough to encounter a rare magical oasis. Since coming to live in Cabo San Lucas, this most beautiful and unique desert-ocean environ, my desire has been to recreate this type of experience for our guests.”

Sadly, that magical oasis turned out to be something else.''

 

[dotr]

Noting other recent murders in Mexico..referenced in above article..
Ws thread.
Mexico - Ian Hirschsohn, 78, & Kathy Harvey, 73, found dead in well, El Socorrito, 5 Sep 2020

 

[dotr]

Oct 29 2020 rbbm.
HUNTER: Money behind Canadian's death on Mexican beach? | Toronto Sun

Larissa Hyland never believed her fiance, Craig Harrison, took his own life on a Mexican beach. Photo by LARISSA HYLAND /POSTMEDIA

''Most of us never do it, we just dream about that idyllic life in the tropics. Craig Harrison made his dream a reality.

But on a pristine beach near Cabo San Lucas, nestled along the warm Gulf of California, Harrison was found murdered.

Or was it suicide?

The Canadian expat was reported missing Aug. 29. On Sept. 5, the former Vancouver wine merchant’s body was found floating off Cabo Pulmo National Park.

“What’s strange is that we were told Craig was murdered, then all of a sudden the story changed that he had committed suicide,” a friend, who asked not to be identified, told the Toronto Sun.
“What’s changed?”

''The friend notes that Harrison, 65, died from a knife wound in his chest. When it comes to suicide, that’s a very rare bird.

“Craig was really successful, it just doesn’t make sense that he sunk to such a low level to kill himself,” the friend said, adding that he was found wearing a backpack filled with rocks''.

“The last person who talked to Craig that night was his ex-wife, Lori,” Hyland said.

The Sun attempted to contact Lori at the time of her ex-husband’s death but was unsuccessful.''

 

[moonriverfarm]

No thank you to traveling to Mexico.

 

[Satchie]

No thank you to traveling to Mexico.

That's fine, but I feel the need to point out this poor man was not a tourist, he lived there for almost 25 years. He also invested in real estate in the fast growing area, which undoubtedly made him very rich. So, in no way can this crime be said to be related to tourism, which is to visit a place briefly and spend your money, not stay 25 years and make tons of it.

After reading several prominent murdered/disappeared/mass shooting cases on here, should I say "no thank you to visiting Colorado"?

There are motives for every homicide, in this case, if it was one, possibly money, possibly real estate transactions, possibly, the Sun article above hints, the complications from having a wife/business partner who is allegedly an ex-wife, and also, according to the Sun article, another person who is a fiance. But that might just be arguments over who inherits his assets.

 

[asmi106082]

Sorry but I completely understand and agree with the other poster about staying far away from Mexico. Cartels in Mexico have made nearly the entire country an unsafe place and I couldn’t be paid enough to live there. A comparison to Colorado is like comparing apples to oranges.
Law enforcement in Mexico doesn’t have the resources to even fight the cartels so anyone living down there does so at their own risk. JMO.

 

[Satchie]

Sorry but I completely understand and agree with the other poster about staying far away from Mexico. Cartels in Mexico have made nearly the entire country an unsafe place and I couldn’t be paid enough to live there. A comparison to Colorado is like comparing apples to oranges.
Law enforcement in Mexico doesn’t have the resources to even fight the cartels so anyone living down there does so at their own risk. JMO.

So, that means Mexico is the only country in the world where no one is ever murdered in the "ordinary way", ie robbery, business rivalry, failed domestic relationships? The one and only cause of all crime there is cartels? I'd like to see some MSM evidence of that...

 

[TerrasolTourist]

I've been periodically looking to see if there are any updates in this case.... but nothing has been shared in over a year now. This case affected me personally. I'm from the US and rented a condo annually from Craig and although I never met him, we emailed and texted each year and he was always friendly and helpful. As a matter of fact, he responded so quickly to messages that when he stopped responding in the middle of our conversation regarding reserving the condo for our girls annual trip, we were immediately concerned that something might have happened to him. We never expected to find out that he was murdered (which then was later changed to suspected suicide). The details have never added up. The day he disappeared he sent me a message and mentioned it might take him a couple of days to complete arrangements because he was going out sailing for the weekend. I later spoke with the owner of the condo we typically rent (Craig was the property manager) who told me this was very unusual and no one had heard of this. Why would Craig have stated that in a message to someone he barely knows? It seemed as if I had information no one else did so I tried to contact the local authorities and even reached out to the American Embassy, who gave me the contact info of the investigator. No one ever responded to my messages. There never was follow up about his missing car - my suspicion all along was that it would eventually be found at a marina if he truly did go on a sailboat. He did not own a boat so obviously it would appear that he was invited by someone who planned this out. the information I did get from the owner (who actually saw him the night before he disappeared) was that he was found stabbed in the chest with a backpack of rocks on. That definitely doesn't sound like a suicide to me. It's horrific and haunts me to this day. The frustration of how it appears to have just been written off also is just awful.

 

[Satchie]

I've been periodically looking to see if there are any updates in this case.... but nothing has been shared in over a year now. This case affected me personally. I'm from the US and rented a condo annually from Craig and although I never met him, we emailed and texted each year and he was always friendly and helpful. As a matter of fact, he responded so quickly to messages that when he stopped responding in the middle of our conversation regarding reserving the condo for our girls annual trip, we were immediately concerned that something might have happened to him. We never expected to find out that he was murdered (which then was later changed to suspected suicide). The details have never added up. The day he disappeared he sent me a message and mentioned it might take him a couple of days to complete arrangements because he was going out sailing for the weekend. I later spoke with the owner of the condo we typically rent (Craig was the property manager) who told me this was very unusual and no one had heard of this. Why would Craig have stated that in a message to someone he barely knows? It seemed as if I had information no one else did so I tried to contact the local authorities and even reached out to the American Embassy, who gave me the contact info of the investigator. No one ever responded to my messages. There never was follow up about his missing car - my suspicion all along was that it would eventually be found at a marina if he truly did go on a sailboat. He did not own a boat so obviously it would appear that he was invited by someone who planned this out. the information I did get from the owner (who actually saw him the night before he disappeared) was that he was found stabbed in the chest with a backpack of rocks on. That definitely doesn't sound like a suicide to me. It's horrific and haunts me to this day. The frustration of how it appears to have just been written off also is just awful.

Sorry to hear you were connected to this victim.

I think with the language difference and the lack of homicide detectives in peaceful Baja Sur, there's not necessarily the same manpower we count on, to comb through video footage, sort through tower dumps of phone pings, and so on.

In most cases like this, I hear of the family hiring a bilingual private investigator to coordinate with police and follow up their own suspicions (happens in Canada/US as well). It's interesting to me if there wasn't one.
.JMO

 

[katehanni]

I've been periodically looking to see if there are any updates in this case.... but nothing has been shared in over a year now. This case affected me personally. I'm from the US and rented a condo annually from Craig and although I never met him, we emailed and texted each year and he was always friendly and helpful. As a matter of fact, he responded so quickly to messages that when he stopped responding in the middle of our conversation regarding reserving the condo for our girls annual trip, we were immediately concerned that something might have happened to him. We never expected to find out that he was murdered (which then was later changed to suspected suicide). The details have never added up. The day he disappeared he sent me a message and mentioned it might take him a couple of days to complete arrangements because he was going out sailing for the weekend. I later spoke with the owner of the condo we typically rent (Craig was the property manager) who told me this was very unusual and no one had heard of this. Why would Craig have stated that in a message to someone he barely knows? It seemed as if I had information no one else did so I tried to contact the local authorities and even reached out to the American Embassy, who gave me the contact info of the investigator. No one ever responded to my messages. There never was follow up about his missing car - my suspicion all along was that it would eventually be found at a marina if he truly did go on a sailboat. He did not own a boat so obviously it would appear that he was invited by someone who planned this out. the information I did get from the owner (who actually saw him the night before he disappeared) was that he was found stabbed in the chest with a backpack of rocks on. That definitely doesn't sound like a suicide to me. It's horrific and haunts me to this day. The frustration of how it appears to have just been written off also is just awful.

My husband and I knew Craig Harrison and Laurie. Oddly, we did not discover Craig's death until we went to Mexico (currently in Mexico on vacation ironically) and I asked my husband about Craig so he looked him up online and found out about his murder. We knew Craig from my husband being a Master of Wine (North America's first) and were very social with he and Laurie. We even visited them in Cabo at their B&B. They were happy. The articles appear to be timelining his relationships such that Laurie divorced Craig after he began a relationship with his fiancé at the time of his death? Or some sort of financial crime based in real estate? I guess we are both pretty shocked as Craig was so smart, professional and yes he liked the ladies but when we knew them he was totally in love with Laurie.

There is no way this was suicide in our opinion. Craig loved life, was in it to win it and he was very motivated to live and be successful. The whole boat trip thing mentioned here is not mentioned in any news coverage so something is either being mis reported here or the police are truly not doing their jobs. I wish there was more data in the news about this horrifying occurrence. I have always loved Mexico and am here now in Nuevo Vallarta but does seem unsafe for many reasons.

 

[dotr]

My husband and I knew Craig Harrison and Laurie. Oddly, we did not discover Craig's death until we went to Mexico (currently in Mexico on vacation ironically) and I asked my husband about Craig so he looked him up online and found out about his murder. We knew Craig from my husband being a Master of Wine (North America's first) and were very social with he and Laurie. We even visited them in Cabo at their B&B. They were happy. The articles appear to be timelining his relationships such that Laurie divorced Craig after he began a relationship with his fiancé at the time of his death? Or some sort of financial crime based in real estate? I guess we are both pretty shocked as Craig was so smart, professional and yes he liked the ladies but when we knew them he was totally in love with Laurie.

There is no way this was suicide in our opinion. Craig loved life, was in it to win it and he was very motivated to live and be successful. The whole boat trip thing mentioned here is not mentioned in any news coverage so something is either being mis reported here or the police are truly not doing their jobs. I wish there was more data in the news about this horrifying occurrence. I have always loved Mexico and am here now in Nuevo Vallarta but does seem unsafe for many reasons.

Welcome to Ws @katehanni!
Sorry about your friend Craig, wishing there was an update to post, but none found so far.