Barbados investigation gains force after Ottawa woman dies

Police in Barbados are ramping up their investigation after an Ottawa woman who was attacked on a beach last month died Wednesday.

TerrySchwarzfeld, 60, was walking along an isolated stretch of Long Beach on the Caribbean island when she and her daughter-in-law were mugged on Feb. 28.

Police say they were beaten with a piece of wood and knocked unconscious.

Schwarzfeld's daughter-in-law, Luana Cotsman of Guelph, Ont., regained consciousness right away, but Schwarzfeld never did, according to Cotsman's husband, Stephen Cotsman.

Schwarzfeld was flown back to Ottawa in critical condition and she died at the Ottawa Hospital's Civic Campus on Wednesday morning.

Barbados police have offered a $6,300 reward for information leading to the arrest of the man who attacked thewomen. They say they've been working on the case every day since the attack.

"Since the attack, a number of persons have been interviewed," said Station Sgt. Anthony de Peiza of the Royal Barbados Police Force.

"We have been vigorously pursuing this investigation," he said. "So far, we have not been able to make any arrests."

Schwarzfeld was a prominent member of Ottawa's Jewish community. In November, she was elected president of the Canadian chapter of Hadassah-WIZO, a charitable, international Jewish women's organization nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.

Her funeral is Friday.