CALGARY — The husband of an Alberta woman severely beaten in Mexico says she is slowly recovering from extensive facial reconstruction surgery and faces a long road to recovery.
Andrew Nabb released a statement Thursday through hospital staff — his first public comments since his wife, Sheila, was found lying in a pool of blood in the elevator of a resort in Mazatlan.
“The past few weeks have been very difficult for Sheila and the rest of our family. She has been through a lot and is now in hospital in Calgary, with myself and her family at her side,” said Nabb.
“Sheila’s injuries were very serious and she has a long recovery ahead, but we are looking forward to having her back home where she belongs.”
Sheila Nabb, 37, was badly beaten nearly two weeks ago at the five-star Hotel Riu where she and her husband were vacationing. Family members say he didn’t realize his wife had been taken to hospital until he woke up that morning.
Several bones in Nabb’s face were broken and her jaw was wired shut while she was under care in Mexico. She was briefly in a medically induced coma and also had pneumonia.
Nabb was brought back to Calgary last Friday in a private air ambulance jet.
“On Saturday (Jan. 28), Sheila had extensive reconstructive surgery, a procedure which the doctors say was successful,” said Nabb in his statement.
“Since this time, she has spent a few days recovering in the intensive care unit. Although she is still sedated, she has been very responsive and we are happy to see small improvements every day,” he added.
Mexican authorities made an arrest hours after Nabb returned to Calgary. They charged Jose Ramon Acosta Quintero, 28, with attempted murder.
Quintero was arrested and presented to the media at a news conference the following day. Quintero said he ran into Nabb, who he says was naked, in the elevator after he and a friend sneaked in to have some drinks at the bar.
He said the two started talking and he blocked the door because he was drunk and wanted to chat some more. He said he panicked when she started screaming and he hit her. Quintero denied he wanted to kill her.
The suspect later told a local newspaper that he was forced to sign a confession without being allowed to read it or speak to a lawyer.
Mexican authorities have stood by the arrest.