Ottawa-area man found dead in Mexico

The burnt body of an Ottawa-area man who was reported missing in Mexicohas beenfound in the trunk of his rental car north ofAcapulco,Canada's Foreign Affairs Department confirmed Sunday.

Daniel Dion, 51, was from Sherbrooke, Que., but lived near Ottawa in the town of Carleton Place.

According to a Foreign Affairs official,police in Mexico saythere wasa "crime against Dion," but theyrevealed no details.

Unconfirmed reports say he was abducted and the rental car was set ablazein Chilpancingo, 115 kilometres from Acapulco. Hisfamily was notified of the discovery Saturday night.

Dion had planned amonth-long stayinthe Mexican resort cityfor a business trip to sell"eco" purses. He was due to return home last week.

A news agency report in Mexico said he operated a purse manufacturing company that was to employ rehabilitated Mexican prisoners. It said he hadaccess to hundreds of prisoners ineight rehabilitation centres in the state of Guerrero.

His familysaid Dion was in the country to promote a line ofluxury purses he designedfromrecycled materials. Some of the pursesfeaturegold and silver parts.

Local media reports said that Dionwas last seen leaving a restaurant in Acapulco around 2 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 23, and that hegot into a car that was not his own, accompanied bythree men.

Dion telephoned his wife on the night of Friday, Oct. 22,but the family heard no further news of him.

Family members flew to Mexico last weekto help with the searchand were providing DNA samples to police over the weekend.