Suspect charged with attempted murder in Mexico beating

CALGARY (NEWS1130) – Media reports out of Mexico say authorities have arrested and charged a Mexican man in relation to the brutal beating of a Calgary woman.

The man is reportedly charged with attempted murder and is a native of the Mazatlan area, who frequented tourist hotels and speaks fairly good English.

Sheila Nabb, 37, was on vacation with her husband when she was badly beaten at the five-star Mazatlan hotel where the couple was staying. She flew home to Calgary in a private air ambulance last night and was taken to hospital.

A video shows a man of about 25 kicking someone in the elevator where Nabb was found.

Her uncle, Robert Prosser, says he only found out Nabb was back home this morning. He says he’s relieved she’s in a Canadian hospital where she must have facial surgery.

“It’s a big relief knowing she is back in Canada,” Nabb’s uncle Robert Prosser said in an interview from his home in Kingston, N.S.

“We know she’s safe and we know what the medical situation is like here, so we know she’ll be well looked after. Calgary’s got an excellent hospital there.”

Peter Byl, president of Latitude Aeromedical Works, said the flight from Mexico was three and a half hours.

“She did really well on the flight,” said Byl, whose company uses Learjet 35 aircraft to bring Canadian patients home from around the world under contract from insurance providers.

“It’s important to be with family and receive top notch medical care.”

Several bones in Nabb’s face were broken and she will undergo facial reconstruction surgery. Her jaw has been wired shut and she was in a medically induced coma for a couple of days in Mexico. She also had pneumonia.

A spokesman for Alberta Health Services couldn’t give any details on Nabb’s location or condition.

More than $10,000 has been raised at the Calgary clinic she works at to help Nabb offset medical expenses.

“We’ve really been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from friends to strangers to you name it,” said Jocelyn Tindall, Nabb’s co-worker at Active Back to Health Centre.

She said dental and orthodontist services are also being offered to Nabb free of charge.

“Now she’s back in Canada, so we’re very happy to hear that,” said Tindall.

Prosser said despite the relief that his niece is home, he is still trying to understand why anyone would attack her.

“She’s very cheerful, friendly. She’s just the nicest person you would ever want to meet. I mean everybody that met her liked her … and she’s always been like that.”