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It was supposed to be a dream birthday getaway for 23-year-old Kiara Agnew when she jet-setted from Canada to the turquoise waters of Mexico, checking into a luxurious all-inclusive resort with her boyfriend of two years. Sadly, within hours of their arrival, their vacation turned into a nightmare & Kiara wouldn’t live to see her 24th birthday.
What followed was a case that shocked two countries & left her devastated family searching for answers & justice.
At 2:55 am on Friday, March 3, 2023, a janitorial worker from a five-star resort in Mexico noticed blood on a wall outside of a staff-only laundry room while the surrounding floor was covered in blood. There was also a shoe lying on the floor by the laundry room door which stood partially open, making it seem very clear that a struggle had taken place.
As the man pushed the door to the laundry room open, he was met with a gruesome scene as a young woman & a young man lay side-by-side on the floor with the man’s feet up toward the woman’s head. While the woman, who was fully clothed, appeared to be unconscious, the shoeless man was asleep. As the worker shook him awake, it was obvious that he was intoxicated. The man suddenly jumped up & began to run up a nearby staircase, but he was captured & held until police arrived.
Only hours before this horrific scene unfolded, 23-year-old Kiara Agnew excitedly checked into the Grand Sunset Princess Hotel in Playa del Carmen, a sprawling gated, all-inclusive resort an hour’s drive south of Cancun. It was the type of place a guest could check into & never have to leave during their vacation since everything they could ever need was already within the gates of the property.
Kiara was born on March 11, 1999 as the eldest child to parents Michele & Trevor Agnew. She spent her early years in the small village of Plaster Rock, New Brunswick, Canada, but as a teenager, the family moved nearly 3,000 miles away across the country to Dawson Creek, British Columbia along the border of Alberta.
Kiara quickly adapted to her new home with new schools & friends. Her teachers remember her as a curious, engaged young girl who was a joy to have in their classroom. She was a bright, energetic, animal lover who was always ready for her next adventure.
Since she’d been a small child, Kiara had always dreamed of seeing the world. She pestered her mom about getting their passports & filling them with stamps that would take her outside of her own home country of Canada.
She was a very detailed young woman who kept a detailed journal, listing the specific countries she hoped to visit year-by-year before her 35th birthday. She wanted to make the most of her youth, surfing in various oceans & climbing many mountains.
As March 2023 rolled around & Kiara was only days away from her 24th birthday, she had been counting down the days for a much anticipated trip that would finally take her out of the country & get her first stamp in her passport. She & her boyfriend Ryan, who she’d been dating since the fall of 2021, were flying south to the Mexican Riviera where they planned to relax, snorkel along the white sand beaches & explore the Mayan ruins. She carefully picked a resort & her family recalled just how excited she was for her vacation.
The couple checked into the Grand Sunset Princess Hotel on Thursday, March 2, 2023. As Kiara made her way around the resort, she took photos & videos, documenting their trip & sharing them with her family. In the final video she ever recorded, Kiara stood on the balcony of their hotel room, she was bright-eyed as she looked into the lens & told the camera that they had just gotten situated into their room, they were going to get some food & make their way down to the beach.
Tragically, less than twelve hours later, Kiara was dead.
Kiara’s mother & stepfather, Michele & Ricky Matchett, remembered just how excited she had been to take her first trip abroad. In the photos & videos she sent, they could see that she was glowing with happiness.
That night, hotel surveillance captured Kiara & Ryan at the resort bar having drinks. At about midnight, they could be seen leaving together. These were sadly the last images of Kiara alive.
A little less than three hours later, a resort employee was dispatched to the laundry room at 2:55 am to clean up what was described as a mess in the hallway. As he arrived, he was shocked to see that the mess was blood. The blood on the wall outside the laundry room appeared to have been from a person’s head striking the wall. This, paired with the blood on the ground as well as a discarded shoe, suggested that a struggle occurred outside the laundry room.
When he pushed the partially opened door fully open, he found Kiara’s lifeless, bloodied, battered body lying next to Ryan, who was asleep. When he managed to wake him after shaking him, Ryan didn’t look around or ask what was happening, but he immediately attempted to run up the stairs. Someone grabbed him, maybe the janitor himself, & he was held until police could arrive.
According to notes from the first officer at the scene, a diagram documented the injuries on Ryan’s hand & foot with swelling of his left hand & a bite mark to his right hand. There was blood on his clothing as well as on his hands & feet.
Meanwhile, Kiara was fully clothed with one of her shoes lying nearby on the floor. There were no documented defensive wounds to her body & no physical evidence to suggest that other individuals had been in the laundry room during the time that Ryan & Kiara had been.
The laundry room in question, which was in building two of the resort, was not a close distance to the room where Ryan & Kiara had been staying in building seven. In W5’s documentary featuring Canadian journalist, Avery Haines, If I’m Ever Found Dead, Avery actually stayed in Kiara’s room & made the six-minute walk down two flights of stairs from the room to the laundry room where her body was found 424 steps away.
Tragically, Kiara was pronounced dead at the scene. Her autopsy later detailed just how brutal her attack had been, affecting nearly every inch of her body. Her teeth were chipped, her eyes, ears & neck were bruised while nearly every vital organ had been damaged. Her brainstem had been detached from her spinal cord. The report did not report any evidence of sexual assault despite the fact that according to Ryan’s later story, Kiara had told him she’d been raped.
Even years later, the paramedic who responded to the resort, Victor Gomez, cannot forget what he saw that morning. Kiara’s face had been beaten beyond recognition, her face covered with blood.
Avery Haines spoke with Dr. Salvador Miguel Martinez, who reviewed photos from the crime scene & based on a blood spatter report, Ryan had been standing when Kiara’s blood splashed onto him.
After Ryan was arrested that same morning, he was charged with femicide under Mexican law, the most serious domestic violence charge in the country. Femicide is defined as the intentional killing with a gender-related motive rather than homicide, where the motivation may have nothing to do with gender. According to the UN, every ten minutes, partners & family members killed a woman intentionally in 2024. Femicide is driven by discrimination against women & girls, unequal power relations, gender stereotypes or harmful social norms.
According to police documents, on his arrest, Ryan tested positive for alcohol, but negative for drugs.
In the days & weeks that followed Kiara’s death, according to Ryan’s story, after leaving the bar, they returned to their hotel room. He admitted that once back in the room, they argued & although he wasn’t specific about the details of the argument, he said that after things calmed down, he fell asleep. When he woke up at about 2:30 am, he claimed that Kiara was no longer in the room.
He said he heard the sounds of someone screaming, but he could tell it was coming from somewhere outside the hotel room. He left their room, walking through the corridors of the resort, following the sounds of the screams which led him to the laundry room. Ryan said the door to the room was locked so he began beating on the door until someone opened it.
Once inside, Ryan claimed that Kiara was sitting on the floor while there were three or four other people in the room with her. He could see that she had been violently attacked & she told him that she had been raped.
When Kiara’s stepfather, Ricky later asked Ryan directly how he ended up asleep on the floor next to Kiara, he was unable to answer. He asked this same question on three separate occasions, but he never received an answer.
Ryan told investigators that it had been the cartel who was responsible for Kiara’s murder, claiming that their resort had owed money to them. Since they refused to pay, Kiara was simply murdered to send them a message.
Since much of the employment within Mexico is informal with millions of people selling items in the street or at street markets, practically all the vendors & local businesses are expected to pay a so-called cartel tax. Refusal to do so can lead to robberies, vandalism, assaults, kidnappings or murder.
When a long-standing member of the Sinaloa cartel was interviewed by W5, he admitted that the cartel has control of everything, but denied that they operate in resorts like the Grand Sunset Princess Hotel where Kiara & Ryan had been staying. Tourists are usually only harmed when they’re caught in the cross-fire or for doing business with the cartel. According to this member, when the cartel wants to send a message, it’s public, brutal & unmistakable rather than something that’s done in a quiet laundry room, hidden away in the middle of the night as was the case with Kiara’s murder.
Since there were no surveillance cameras in the corridors where Ryan claimed to have roamed until he came upon the laundry room, this also meant there was no surveillance to disprove his story. Investigators came to find that there had been no record of anyone else on the property during that timeframe that seemed out of place or had been behaving unusually.
Although Ryan claimed that the laundry room door had been locked when he first approached it, the door did not even have a lock on it.
Before Kiara ever boarded the airplane that brought herself & Ryan to Mexico, she had been documenting concerning entries in her journal. Her writings were very specific, documenting dates, details, what had been done to her & who had done it.
In one entry, she wrote about an occasion when Ryan was intoxicated & he came around to her side of the bed, he grabbed her by the hair & began to strike her repeatedly in the face. Although she begged him to stop, his anger & violence only escalated. He mocked her tears, telling her that no one felt sorry for her & after he soon fell asleep, she left.
When she confronted him about what happened the next day, he had absolutely no recollection, accusing her of lying. According to her entry, he only accepted what she was telling him because of her swollen face.
In the aftermath of her death, her entry was chilling as she wrote, He scares me. If I am ever missing or found dead, you know who did it. You know it was him. And you can’t let him get away with it.
Although her journal entries didn’t constitute legal proof, they did give investigators a picture of what her relationship with Ryan looked like when they were behind closed doors. Although their relationship may have started out as sweet, over the years, it became toxic & abusive. Not only had she written about the abuse, but Kiara had also taken photos of the scratches, cuts & deep bruises that were left behind.
According to court records, Ryan had been charged with assaulting a girlfriend in 2018, three years before he began dating Kiara. Her family’s concerns had been growing in the months before Kiara’s death with the escalating abuse she was suffering. Each time they voiced their concern, she assured them that it only happened when Ryan was drinking & they planned to quit drinking.
Kiara’s sister Tiana believes that she stayed with Ryan due to a shared grief as they had each lost brothers. Kiara’s brother, Jordan Agnew, died at age 20 in 2020, while Ryan’s brother, Zackery, died at 17-years-old in 2010.
As Kiara’s devastated family grappled with the news of her murder, her father, Trevor, was assured that the evidence against Ryan was overwhelming & the case was basically open & shut. Not only had he been the last known person to see her alive, but he was found lying next to her lifeless body with blood on his body & injuries that suggested a violent struggle. He’d told investigators that the laundry room door had been locked even though the door lacked a lock altogether. He also said he’d heard Kiara’s screams after waking up in the hotel room at 2:30 am, finding that she wasn’t there despite the fact that they were staying in building seven while Kiara had been attacked in building 2.
However, through it all, Ryan maintained that he had no involvement in Kiara’s death. As the case reached trial in 2024, he pleaded not guilty. Because Mexico does not use juries in criminal or civil trials, cases are decided by a single judge or a panel of three judges.
Ryan’s defense argued that multiple third parties were responsible for her death & that her injuries were far too severe to have been inflicted by one person. They brought up the DNA from an unknown male under her fingernails that did not match Ryan & insisted that this proved his innocence, reinforcing his story that others who had been in the laundry room had been responsible.
The defense painted a picture of Ryan as an unfortunate witness who was being blamed for the crime because he was the obvious person. They argued that focusing on him had only distracted investigators from finding the real killers.
When Kiara’s sister, Tiana, took the stand, she testified that the violence within her sister’s relationship with Ryan had slowly escalated over the years. Since her big sister’s death, Tiana has felt a tremendous sense of grief, believing she should have done more to protect her. The two had been exceptionally close, sharing their deepest secrets with one another, Kiara fondly calling her sister, Tinky.
Kiara’s journal was presented as evidence that described the arguments that had turned physical. Nights when Ryan would beat her while intoxicated, he would simply fall asleep afterwards, leaving her beaten & terrified. When he woke the following morning, he would claim to have no memory of any of it happening. Her entries detailed how his actions & moods could turn on a dime with no warning & that she believed that he could kill her.
According to Tiana, during her testimony, Ryan stared at her, unblinking & smiling the entire time. He showed no remorse or shame whatsoever.
In September 2024, eighteen months after Kiara’s death, the judge came back with a verdict, finding Ryan Friesen not guilty. At that moment, Kiara’s family felt as if the floor had dropped from beneath their feet. They were unable to comprehend that the man who they believed murdered Kiara was now free, able to leave Mexico & travel back to their shared home of Dawson Creek. Tiana feared the possibility that she & her son could potentially run into him while they were out running errands.
The judge made his decision of not guilty, accepting the defense’s argument that the DNA found under Kiara’s fingernails that hadn’t belonged to Ryan paired with the severity of her injuries he felt could not have been inflicted by a single person.
This is regardless of Kiara’s alarming journal entries that detailed the abuse she suffered at the hands of Ryan when he was intoxicated, she was last seen with Ryan after they left the hotel bar & he’d admitted that they argued once back at the room. He also had injuries that he couldn’t explain, claiming others had been involved even though no one had seen anyone out of place or suspicious at the resort.
The documentary, If I’m Ever Found Dead, discussed the simple reason that unknown DNA could have been found under her nails. As we make our way through the world each day, we constantly pick up DNA from shared spaces & innocuous contact & the DNA under Kiara’s nails could have had nothing to do with her attack.
Since there were no defensive wounds on Kiara’s body, it’s likely the attack had been so violent & swift that she hadn’t even had a chance to fight back & in that case, her attacker’s DNA wouldn’t have been under her fingernails.
Ryan has recently come out with his first public statement in which he wrote about how challenging the past couple of years have been & the grief he continues to feel after the loss of Kiara. He believes that the legal proceedings against him only impeded the investigators from finding Kiara’s actual killers.
Last summer, Kiara’s mom, stepfather & aunt had a meeting with Ryan & his father, Grant, in Dawson Creek after Ryan requested to meet with them to give his side of the story. He complained that he’d been constantly harassed since moving back to Canada. He wanted them to believe he was innocent in hopes of getting his life back. Ryan’s lawyer flew in from Mexico for the meeting & provided the DNA report, believing this proved his innocence.
This was when Ryan told them his version of events about arguing with Kiara after they came back to their hotel room from the bar. After he fell asleep, he awoke to hear her screaming. This was when Ricky asked how he’d ended up asleep next to Kiara & he’d been unable to answer.
Although Kiara’s mom, Michele & her aunt, Kaitlyn, have accepted Ryan’s version of events, believing him to be innocent, his not guilty verdict is currently under active review by a higher court in Mexico. According to Aroshi Lugo Arana, the deputy prosecutor for the state of Quintana Roo, she believes it has been established beyond any reasonable doubt that Ryan murdered Kiara.
Under Mexican law, a not guilty verdict cannot be retried, however the law allows for a judge’s reasoning to be appealed through a higher-courts review. The appeal for the verdict was launched in September 2024, almost immediately after Ryan was found not-guilty of Kiara’s murder. However, overturning a not guilty verdict is very rare.
According to Dave Perry, the Chairman of Investigative Solutions Network & former Toronto Police Service homicide investigator, after reviewing photos of both Kiara & Ryan’s injuries, he feels that her injuries are supportive of someone who had been beaten terribly. Meanwhile, his injuries matched this exact kind of attack.
The violence depicted in the photos were some of the worst he had ever seen in his career, however, they were consistent with a lot of domestic homicides cases he’s dealt with. Perry is shocked that a judge could have looked at all of the evidence presented & concluded that more than one person must have been responsible based on the level of violence inflicted on Kiara. Perry felt that an intoxicated, enraged person could have absolutely inflicted the injuries.
A petition has been submitted to the House of Commons to enact what is being called Kiara’s Law which would require mandatory forensic autopsies be conducted in Canada in suspicious death cases abroad. It would also give Canadian authorities jurisdiction in cases involving Canadian-on-Canadian violence in a foreign country.
The petition, which was started on January 14, 2026 by Kiara’s aunt, Tanya Agnew, who is Trevor’s sister, had 1,617 signatures as of April 6, 2026 & was closed for signature as of April 14, 2026.
Since he’s returned to Dawson Creek, B.C., Ryan is living with his father while the protests for justice for Kiara continue. Kiara’s Aunt Tanya has heard from other women who previously dated Ryan who spoke about identical abuse at his hands during times when he would get drunk & black out.
In December 2025, a single appellate judge in Mexico overturned the acquittal & Ryan Friesen has since been declared guilty of femicide. Meanwhile, his lawyers are appealing the decision & he will remain in Canada until the resolution of his appeal. Should the appeal be unsuccessful, he faces up to 50 years in a Mexican prison.
This decision has proven to be a tremendous relief for Trevor & Tanya, Kiara’s father & aunt. When Tanya spoke with W5 in an interview shortly after learning that Ryan has been declared guilty, she felt that this was a very powerful moment since after Ryan was found not guilty, they felt muted & threatened. They are no longer forced to use terms like allegedly & in our belief. With this decision, Tanya also feels that her niece can finally rest in peace.
Kiara’s family had to submit appeal documents by April 29 after which a panel of three judges will review the case. The process could take anywhere from three months to a year & a half depending on the court’s schedule.
When Kiara Agnew boarded a plane with Ryan Friesen in March 2023, she was thrilled to be taking a much anticipated first trip abroad, expecting sunshine, adventure & relaxation. She dreamed of filling her passport with stamps from around the world yet she tragically didn’t live to see her 24th year of life.
Kiara’s case highlights the fact that danger doesn’t always come from strangers in dark alleys. It sometimes comes from a person who is intended to love & care for you. It’s also a reminder that violence within a relationship can escalate far more quickly than anyone can ever imagine.
If you or someone you know feels unsafe in a relationship, please know that help is available. You can speak with someone at the National Domestic Violence Hotline 24/7 by calling 800-799-7233 or by texting BEGIN to 88788.
References:
- United Nations: Why a woman is killed every 10 minutes: global femicide
- SCRIBD: Media Statement
- CP24: EXCLUSIVE: Canadian at centre of girlfriend’s murder mystery in Mexico makes first public statement after verdict
- CP24: EXCLUSIVE: Did a cartel kill this young Canadian woman? W5 investigates a murder mystery
- CTV News: EXCLUSIVE: Not-guilty verdict in murder of Canadian may be overturned
- CTV News: W5 EXCLUSIVE: Canadian man declared guilty of murdering girlfriend in Mexico, lawyer maintains innocence
- Parliament of Canada: Petitions
- El Pais: Mexico’s ‘omerta’: Millions of merchants pay a fee to criminals in order to sell their goods in the streets
- YouTube: If I’m Ever Found Dead: W5’s Avery Haines investigates the shocking murder of Kiara Agnew in Mexico
- Medium: If I’m every found dead: The birthday trip that ended Kiara Agnew’s life
- Energetic City: ‘Kiara’s Law’: Petition calling for legal changes after Dawson Creek woman’s death in Mexico hits 1,000 signatures
- CJDC TV: Kiara’s Law introduced in House of Commons as Ryan Friesen’s appeal continues in Mexico
