Dead teen was beaten in Mexico

WOODBRIDGE, Ont. (CP) - Adam DePrisco of Woodbridge, Ont. had worked for months to save enough money to visit Acapulco with a long-time friend.

But just three days after landing in Mexico for the two-week stay, the 19-year-old man was killed last weekend and his family is demanding to know what happened.

Mexican authorities say DePrisco was struck by a car after leaving a nightclub but the family believes he was beaten after dancing with a local man's girlfriend.

Overwhelmed with grief, DePrisco's mother Carm and father Benny, have been staying with relatives, unable to return to a home filled with pictures and memories of their son.

They have made dozens of phone calls to Mexican and Canadian authorities, but still don't believe their son's death is getting the attention it deserves.

"I want these guys found," said DePrisco's older brother Tony at his uncle's home Tuesday. "It seems like everybody is trying to cover up what happened."

"There's no clear indication as to what happened and it seems like no one wants to help us find answers," said DePrisco's aunt, Lucy Defilippis-Pannozzi.

Mexican police told a Toronto newspaper they are investigating what they believe was a hit-and-run accident early Sunday morning. DePrisco died in a Mexican hospital on Monday night.

The family initially believed he was hit by a car, but now believe he was beaten after speaking to DePrisco's travelling companion, Marco Calabro.

According to family, DePrisco went to a nightclub with his friend on Saturday night and was dancing with a local woman when a man, possibly her boyfriend, became upset.

A bouncer threw DePrisco from the bar, the family believes. When Calabro went looking for him, he found his friend on the ground outside the club, bleeding from his head, said Tony DePrisco.

Police in Acapulco said DePrisco's injuries were typical for someone struck by a car. But the family suspects he would have suffered more than head injuries if hit by a car.

Acapulco police say the investigation is continuing.

DePrisco's body is expected to arrive in Canada Wednesday or Thursday. Funeral arrangements have not been confirmed.