Foreigners murdered in Jalisco, Mexico

US citizen murdered in Guadalajara

San Fransisco native Stephen Marcus Peat was found dead Sunday night at his home on Calle España in Guadalajara’s Moderna neighborhood.

Peat, 39, died from stab wounds and asphyxiation up to eight days before his body was discovered. Authorities were alerted by the strong smell coming from his house.

Peat was found with his hands and feet bound and with traces of masking tape on his face. None of the locks had been forced, suggesting the culprit may have been someone he knew.

Peat sold his home in downtown Guadalajara and began renting the house in Colonia Moderna around six months ago. In the last month he had used the money from the sale to buy a blue Mazda 3 and several new electrical appliances, all of which were stolen.

An accomplished interior designer, Peat received formal recognition of his work from the city council in February. He won second place in the Annual Award for Conservation and Restoration and received 30,000 pesos in prize money from Aristoteles Sandoval, then mayor of Guadalajara.

Canadian stabbed to death in Vallarta

A Canadian citizen found dead while on vacation in Puerto Vallarta last month was stabbed 23 times, investigators revealed on Tuesday.

The body of Duane Joseph Lang, 46, was discovered by his landlord on July 30. He had been renting an apartment at Francisco I. Madero 498, in the Emiliano Zapata neighborhood, since May.

Puerto Vallarta police spokesman Adan Leyva said friends asked his landlord to check up on Lang after he stopped answering his phone for several days.

Upon entering the apartment, the landlord discovered Lang lying face-up in a pool of blood in the bedroom, Leyva said. There was evidence of a struggle and the lights were still on, suggesting the attack took place at night or in the early morning.

The body was already in a state of decomposition, causing a strong odor, and an autopsy revealed Lang had been dead for 48-72 hours. The police do not have any suspects.

Lang ran an insurance company with his father Joe, and his sister Les, and frequently visited Mexico over the years.

He was an active member of the gay community in his native Regina, Canada. Puerto Vallarta is considered Mexico’s gay capital and Lang was the third gay man to be murdered there this year.