Ottawa woman dies after Barbados mugging

An Ottawa woman who was beaten and left unconscious on a beach in Barbados died on Wednesday.

Terry Schwarzfeld, 60,was walking along the Caribbean island's famous Long Beach when she and her daughter-in-law, Luana Cotsman of Guelph, Ont., were mugged on Feb. 28.

The two women were badly beaten and left unconscious.

According to an unidentified Barbados policeman, they were reportedly beaten with a piece of wood.

The women had been travelling with Cotsman's husband, David, and son, Benjamin.

Daughter-in-law'OK'

Cotsmanregained consciousnesswhile still on the beach, said her father-in-law, Stephen Cotsman.

"She suffered from minor bleeding at the base of her skull close to her spine as well as heavy bruising on one arm. She is sore, exhausted, stressed, but OK," he said.

Schwarzfeld suffered serious brain injuries and never regained consciousness.

A friend of the family confirmed that Schwarzfeld died at the Ottawa Hospital's Civic campus Wednesday morning.

Schwarzfeld is the past executive director of Agudath Israel Synagogue and was recently named president of the Canadian chapter of Hadassah-WIZO, a charitable, international Jewish women's organization nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.