The murder of Lesley Enriquez in March 13 attack by suspected Mexican drug cartel members in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, has sent terrible shock and sadness as far north as Dryden.

Enriquez spent time in the community and attended Dryden High School for one semester in her teen years.

Local resident Dixie Robinson, Enriquez’s godmother, had a close relationship with the 34 year-old who was four months pregnant with her second child.

“We were very close after both her Mom and Dad passed away,” said Robinson adding there may be many community members that would remember Lesley from her time spent here.

“I had spoken with Lesley eight days before the tragedy and we were making plans for me to go down to be with her for the birth of her second baby,” said Robinson. “Lesley had a very sweet, very bubbly and amiable personality, which she carried from her teenage years into her adulthood. She and her husband, Art, were a beautiful young couple. This is a tragic and very frightening situation.”

Both Enriquez and her husband Arthur Redelf, were killed by gunmen after leaving a children’s party at the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez. A third American, also linked to the U.S. Consulate was killed in a seemingly coordinated attack that has drawn international condemnation.

Robinson, along with her son, left Dryden last week to attend Enriquez and Redelf’s funeral in El Paso, Texas, just across the border from Juarez.

Foreign Affairs Canada has issued a warning for Canadian citizens to avoid traveling to Mexico, particularly Juarez, due to escalating violence linked to drug trafficking.

-Chris Marchand