Police in Barbados are stepping up their investigation after an Ottawa woman vacationing on the tropical island was brutally attacked and later died of her injuries.
"They've also stepped up vigilance and monitoring of beaches, including the provision of closed circuit TV on long beach," said Barbados High Commissioner Edward Evelyn Greaves.
After spending two weeks in a coma in an Ottawa hospital, Terry Schwarzfeld, 60, died on Wednesday.
"There were people praying daily for her recovery and hoping for a miraculous recovery," said Mitchell Bellman, a friend and member of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa.
Schwarzfeld and her daughter-in-law Luana Cotsman were attacked by a would-be robber while taking an afternoon walk on an isolated stretch of beach on Feb. 28.
Although both were injured, Schwarzfeld took the brunt of the attack with a blow to the head.
"The reality is her injuries were very severe. The damage to her brain, and I guess it wasn't meant to be, but hopefully some good can come out of her loss," said Bellman.
A $6,400 reward is now being offered for the arrest of the person responsible for the attack. Although Barbados police have a few suspects, no arrests have been made.
Schwarzfeld was a prominent member of Ottawa's Jewish community and was recently elected as the national president of Canadian Hadassah-WIZO, a leading Jewish women's philanthropic organization.
The organization has since named a children's daycare in Israel in her honour.
"A place for underprivileged and low-income children to get a good start to life. I think it's a fitting tribute her family would be delighted to see thrive," said Bellman.
Schwarzfeld's family plans to bury her on Friday.
Click here to make a donation to the daycare named in Terry Schwarzfeld's honour.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Kate Eggins
