The body of a Canadian tourist killed when a gunman opened fire from one of Mexico’s most visited pyramids has been turned over to her family, Mexican officials confirmed.
The attorney general’s office for Mexico state said the woman’s family went to its regional office this week in the municipality of Texcoco.
“There, after necessary procedures for identification were completed, her body was returned to them,” it said Wednesday in an email in Spanish.
The woman, who has not been publicly identified by Mexican or Canadian officials, was the only person to die in Monday’s shooting.
“Mexican legislation, including the General Law on Victims, prohibits disclosing personal data that allows the identification of victims of crimes in order to guarantee their right to privacy,” said the email.
However, federal officials in Mexico released the identities earlier this week of the tourists injured in the shooting, as well as the hospitals where they were treated.
The only Canadian of the 13 injured was identified Monday by the Security Cabinet of Mexico as 29-year-old Delicia Li de Yong. It said she was sent to hospital with a gunshot wound above her right shoulder blade.
Tourists from the United States, Colombia, Brazil and Russia were also injured, the youngest being a six-year-old Colombian boy.
Global Affairs Canada said Thursday that consular officials are providing assistance to the family of the Canadian killed. “In accordance with the Privacy Act, no further information can be disclosed.”
The Security Cabinet of Mexico didn’t immediately reply to a request to identify the Canadian killed.
Mexican officials have said the shooter reportedly planned the attack at the Teotihuacan pyramids, played strange music, ranted about hating tourists and fired randomly as visitors jumped and scrambled down to safety.
The gunman was identified as Julio Cesar Jasso Ramirez, a Mexican citizen, who died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“This occurred after the National Guard wounded him in the leg,” Jose Luis Cervantes, attorney general for the state of Mexico, said Tuesday in a news conference in Spanish.
The Mexican government has said the 27-year-old gunman had books and notes about an April 1999 gun attack in the U.S., a reference to the shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado in which 12 students and a teacher were killed.
The attack at the Pyramid of the Moon highlights the need to prevent anyone from entering archeological sites with a firearm, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told the news conference.
“It has never happened before,” she said. “We need to have protocols in place to prevent this from happening again.”
Sheinbaum also provided some details about how the Canadian victim was shot and killed.
The woman sustained a gunshot wound to one of her legs, above the knee, the Mexican president said.
“The bullet travelled subcutaneously to the upper thigh, it exited the thigh, re-entered the abdomen and lodged in the thoracic cavity,” Sheinbaum said.
“It is very important to emphasize that all the ballistic evidence and projectiles collected — whether found on the victims, the deceased, the assailant or any of the injured — are .38-calibre bullets, which are presumed to be the type used to attack the attendees.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney thanked Sheinbaum for her attention to the tragedy.
“It’s a sad day … it’s a terrible circumstance,” Carney said earlier this week. “We’re working with Mexican authorities.”
The Teotihuacan pyramids, a UNESCO World Heritage Site north of Mexico City, are considered one of country’s most important tourist destinations. The site drew more than 1.8 million international visitors last year, government figures indicate.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2026.
Daniela Germano, The Canadian Press
