Canadian woman killed in roadside gunpoint robbery in Mexico, family and friends say | CBC News

A London, Ont., woman who lived in Mexico for close to a decade was killed during a roadside robbery while driving home to Canada, according to friends and local news reports. 

Canadian officials have not yet confirmed the death of Gabriele Schart, but her family and friends have spoken to CBC News. 

Schart owned the Firefly Cinema in Zipolite, a town in southern Mexico. The business, founded by Schart about eight years ago, was a popular gathering spot for expatriates and locals, friends say. 

Family members have been told Schart was shot in Queretaro, just north of Mexico City, on Saturday about a day into her journey home with her four dogs and cat. Mexican media say Schart was 50 but a friend said she was 57.

“She absolutely loved animals and she would not leave without them, so she decided to buy a vehicle there and drive home with them,” said longtime friend Raquel Shulman, adding Schart was going home to look after her ailing mother. 

Schart was driving with a male friend who was supposed to help her on the sometimes dangerous Mexican highways, where people have been stopped by men who demand money, Shulman said. 

“He was supposed to be a safety net for her, so she would be safe getting to the border.” 

Mexican media say the male friend was also shot and sent to hospital for treatment.

Schart has two sons, Corin and Michael, who are working to get answers from authorities in Mexico.

A funeral will be held in Mexico, Shulman said. 

She said Schart moved to Mexico in 2015 to escape the hustle and bustle of life in Canada.

“She applied to lots of different places that offered room and board and Mexico was the first place to get back to her, offered her a job at a hotel doing data entry, and she took it. She fell in love with Zipolite.” 

2 of woman’s pets found, search on for 3

One of the dogs she was taking home, a boxer named Ruby, as well as a cat were picked up by Mexican animal protection officials after the killing.

The three other dogs have not been found but people in Mexico are trying to locate them, said another friend, Claudia Memet. 

“Gabby and I met years ago when she offered to foster two dogs. She already had two of her own,” said Memet, owner of the Dogs of Puerto Angel rescue organization, which operates in Mexico. “She’s well known in the community of expats because she ran the only cinema in the area, which was very popular.” 

Recently, the health of Schart’s mother deteriorated, so she decided to move back home to help her son look after her, Memet said.

“She could have taken a flight back to Canada and it would have been a lot less expensive and easier,” she said. “But there was no way she was going to rehome these animals and leave them behind.” 

CBC News has reached out to Canadian and Mexican authorities about this case.