American Tourist Stabbed to Death While Vacationing in Mexico

Published: 11/13/2018, 2:59:25 PM EST

American Tourist Stabbed to Death While Vacationing in Mexico — Tourists at Playe del Carmen, Mexico in an October 2005 file photo. (OMAR TORRES/AFP/Getty Images)

An American tourist was killed while vacationing at the Mexican resort town of Playa del Carmen on the Yucatan Peninsula.

Taylor Meyer, 27, of Hermosa Beach, near Los Angeles, was celebrating a friend's birthday in the early hours of Nov. 9 when he got into an altercation near the beach at a park.

Meyer was stabbed in the chest after a fight broke out between the group of three people he was with, police officers told the Riviera Maya. Initial reports said that Meyer was killed when he resisted a mugging, however police later stated he was stabbed by someone with him. Police also initially said the man was Canadian, not American.

Police officers also stated they found several packages of crack cocaine on the victim's body. Disturbing photos of Meyer's body lying on the ground were published by local news outlets.

Officers later arrested a suspect, 28-year-old Hilario N., on Nov. 12, Riviera Maya reported. The suspect goes by the street name of El Chemo and hails from the city of Chiapa in the state of Chiapas.

Family Looking for Answers

Family members have said the investigation hasn't satisfied them so far, and they hope that the FBI can look into the case.

Meyer's family said that young man was with a group of about 14 people when he was murdered. His parents were told by the U.S. Consulate in Mexico that he was mugged by someone with a knife.

"We first didn't believe it," Meyer's father, Kris Meyer, told KCRG. "We thought it was a cruel hoax but then we confirmed it was real."

Meyer's cousin Tracy Goetz told the news outlet that Mexican officials have barely told them anything about the killing.

"This was a random act of violence," said Goetz. "They stole his shoes and his wallet."

Travel Warning Still in Effect

The killing comes after the U.S. State Department issued a travel warning in August, when eight bodies were found in the streets of Cancun, another popular resort area.

The bodies included two men who were dismembered.

The travel advisory is still in effect and alerts travelers to "exercise increased caution in Mexico due to crime."

"Violent crime, such as homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery, is widespread," the State Department added. "The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in many areas of Mexico as U.S. government employees are prohibited from travel to these areas."

In Quintana Roo state, which includes both Playa del Carmen and Cancun, most homicides were a result of gang and cartel battles. Most murders were from shooting, the agency noted. Aside from the general advisory, no specific advisories have been issued for either city.