It is with much regret that we report the death of the Canadian Visitor who has attacked on her stay in Barbados. Last month, While walking at Long Beach, Christ Church, the 60-year-old woman was attacked in what appeared to be a robbery attempt. Understandably the Barbados Tourism Authority was not pleased and you can read what they had to say in this Nation News Archieved Article.

In a release issued yesterday by corporate communications consultant Chay Davis, the BARBADOS TOURISM AUTHORITY (BTA) has deplored an attack on two Canadian visitors and said the authorities were committed to bringing the perpetrator to justice.

In a release issued yesterday by corporate communications consultant Chay Davis, the BTA said its primary concern was the well-being of Terry Schwatzfeld and her family.

The Canadian visitor was airlifted back to Canada for medical attention. Unfortunately, news has broekn today that she has succumbed to her injuries.

The Ottawa Citizen Reports:

Schwarzfeld and her daughter-in-law, Luana Cotsman, from Guelph, were attacked by a lone man while walking on Long Beach, in the island country’s south end, during the afternoon of Feb. 28.

Schwarzfeld was struck in the back of the head with a hunk of wood. She was flown back to Ottawa, unconscious, and died Wednesday morning.

Cotsman is recovering from her injuries.

Terry Schwarzfeld. Photograph by: The Ottawa Citizen

The Canadian article also referenced the measures Barbados is putting in place to capture the attacker and to ensure the beaches are safe.

The man fled after the attack, and police in the Caribbean country recently announced a reward of $10,000 Barbados dollars (about $6,400) for information leading to his arrest.

Officials are also installing police kiosks at Long Beach, where the attack occurred.

Hopefully, this will help to maintain Barbados’ image as a safe destination, which it is.

However, for the purpose of this article, we’re not going to focus too much on the facts of the crime, but rather on how Barbadians feel about the whole incident and it’s outcome, and the best way to do that is to turn to the blogs.

So far this story has been carried by two blogs, Barbados Free Press and Cheese-On-Bread. The readers of Barbados Free Press have been most vocal though. Here’s what they are saying:

Activate the death penalty, it won’t stop murder, but it will stop the murderer. Crimes against tourists/visitors should carry increased penalties given how important the industry is to this island. Take robberies……10 years in jail; robberies with blood being shed….15 to 20 years behind bars etc etc. Thank God for the Crimestoppers program.

Another poster known as “You know what” says:

This shows that we are still making mock sport when we say tourism is our no.1 business. Police spend too much time on matters such as traffic. While this is important in maintaining law and order on the roads, sufficient attention is not given to intelligence gathering and policing known areas that criminals, vagrants and paros hang out. There should be police outposts stationed in all tourists areas and major beaches frequented by locals and visitors. Rapid response units should be used for traffic issues. Policing needs to be effective and targeted.

Condolences abound. One such poster had this to say:

May Terry rest in peace and my sincere condolences to her family, but may we not rest in Barbados until her attacker is brought to justice and violence against visitors is stamped out.

I know I speak for all Barbadians in saying that we are deeply saddened and regret the pain and suffering caused by this attack. Barbadians have heard the slogan for years “Tourism Is Our Business”. Let’s hope that all Barbadians can come together and play their part to ensure Barbados remains a safe and enjoyable tourist destination.

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