It was with extreme sadness that I received the news of the killing of Dean William Tiessen, owner and president of New Energy Farms Group, from Leamington, ON.
Dean was here in Brazil for about 10 days to attend functions about agro-business. He and his friend unfortunately decided to visit Guarujá and while returning to the capital were caught up in an attempted cargo highjacking on the Anchieta Highway. The pair descended from their rental car at the orders of the gang robbing the cargo, but it is unclear why Dean was shot. Although the driver of the truck called for a paramedic ambulance which arrived shortly thereafter and his friend made every effort to keep Dean alive he had no vital signs when emergency crews arrived.
Dean leaves behind a wife, Jennifer Lehn Tiessen and four children.
On behalf of the entire expat community in Brazil, our deepest sympathies go out to the Tiessen family and all those who knew Dean.
Despite the fact that a foreign tourist is killed in Brazil every 72 hours nothing is ever done about it, nor ever will be.
In Deepest Sympathy,
William James Woodward - Brazil & Canada Expert, Expat-blog Team