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'We're in the dark': Edmonton family of woman killed in Ecuador want answers

A brother and sister from Edmonton are trying to piece together what happened to their mother last month in Ecuador. A woman they described as kind, hard-working and adventurous.

“She would do anything for us,” said Marta Ganam. “She was a good mom.”

After visiting Ecuador several times over the years, Anna Tatarczak bought a home of her own in Ballenita.

“She fell in love with the place and the people and the country so she decided to retire there. Her whole goal was to just have a little nest egg or place for her kids and grandkids to meet up every year,” said Przemek Tatarczak, Anna’s son.

“And she did end up with a very nice house, she had a little swimming pool in her backyard, nowhere else would she have had that,” added Marta.

They said the house also had a 10-foot electric fence around it. Still, it was their mother’s little piece of paradise. She moved there full-time about a year and a half ago.

“She was always ready to do everything, she didn’t want to be scared of living,” said Marta, through tears. “And somebody stole that from her.”

On June 20, 2022, Anna’s body was found inside her home. The family said it was a close friend of their mother that notified them, not authorities.

“And we might not even know our mom was dead… for weeks,” said Marta.

Anna Tatarczak

An autopsy showed Anna died by blunt force trauma to the head, leading the family to believe her death was intentional.

“She let somebody in. She let her guard down. They hit her from the back. She died from the trauma to her head,” Marta said.

“There’s no way this was a random act,” added Przemek.

The place Anna loved so much is now a source of grief and frustration for her kids.

“It’s just we’re in the dark. We have, I feel like we have no right to question or to ask or look into or anything and we’re not getting any feedback back,” Przemek said. “So it’s been very frustrating.”

Global Affairs Canada confirmed it is aware of the death of a Canadian in Ecuador. In a statement issued to CTV News Edmonton a spokesperson said: “Consular officials are in contact with the family and are providing consular assistance.” It went on to say: “Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed.”

The family did reach out to officials at the Canadian Embassy in Ecuador and here at home but said they think there could have been more communication and support offered.

“When somebody contacts you at the beginning you’re in such shock that half the time you don’t even know what to ask or what’s going on, and to have somebody kind of lead you through it would be nice,” said Marta.

“It’s not just about communication,” added Przemek. “We want to feel assured that a proper investigation is being done.”

CTV News reached out to police in Ballenita, Ecuador who said they are not authorized to give information about the investigation and that it has to come from the Attorney General. We reached out and are waiting on a response.

The family said they were told by police a report would be complete within 30 days of their mother’s death. They hope it will provide some answers but said they don’t know if they’ll be allowed to see to it.

“Maybe we’ll never know who did this to my mom but we want to know that everything was done that we can possibly do,” said Marta.

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