The brother of a 37-year-old Canadian woman who was badly beaten at a five-star resort last week in Mexico is defending the victim's husband, saying a statement by Mexican officials could be misinterpreted to suggest wrongdoing on his part.

In an email statement, Paul Giles described Sheila and Andrew Nabb as a "loving couple" and said Andrew is "innocent of any form of abuse."

"Andrew was initially questioned by authorities immediately after this tragic event and was soon after released when it became apparent that he was innocent of any form of abuse," Giles said in the email.

"Anyone who has ever met Andrew will immediately disregard any and all accusations against him. They are the most loving couple that I know, and anyone that knows them would agree."

Giles said he felt pressured to release the statement after Mexican authorities issued a statement in Spanish that could be translated to say "domestic violence" when they meant "internal violence."

The press release from the Sinaloa state government was referring to the violent incident being internal to Mexico.

Mexican police still don't have a suspect even though they have a surveillance video of the attack.

The video shows Nabb, who remains in a Mexican hospital after suffering multiple facial fractures, being beaten in a hotel elevator by someone who appears to be another guest in his mid-20s.

Tom Walters told CTV's Canada AM in a telephone report Thursday that the video shows the attacker "striking and stomping" Nabb in the elevator.

No one is in custody and police have yet to identify the man in the video, although they said the suspect isn't dressed like a hotel staff member or a local resident, meaning he may be another tourist.

Police have taken statements from nine people in the case, including a guest with bruises on his hand and injuries to his chin.

Nabb, raised in Nova Scotia but a resident of Calgary, had been vacationing with family members at the five-star resort hotel in Mazatlan at the time of the attack.

Officials said that if the man in the video returns home to his country of origin, they are confident he can be brought back through extradition treaties if necessary.

Her husband, Andrew Nabb, was interviewed by police but ruled out as a suspect, Walters said, indicating evidence shows he was sleeping in his room when the attack occurred.

Andrew Nabb also watched the video and couldn't identify the attacker, he said.

Police are waiting for Sheila Nabb's condition to improve to get a statement. She came out of a medically induced coma earlier this week but she's still too weak to talk, Walters said.

Nabb was set to undergo surgery on her facial fractures this week, but her doctors have postponed the procedure because of the illness.

The setback became apparent when doctors were preparing to remove a breathing tube in her neck, Nabb's family said.

Once awake, she recognized her husband and appeared lucid. She was also able to respond to questions, brother Paul Giles said in a statement.

Walters also said the media in Mazatlan seem to be more concerned about the "black eye" Mazatlan is receiving over the attack rather than the incident itself, calling it a "big fuss."

"The one thing that really has struck us here over the last couple of days that we've been in Mazatlan is how quiet it is for January," Walters said.

"This is not a place where the tourism business is doing particularly well at the moment," he said, adding local "authorities" seem to be more worried about the impact on the region's reputation.

An Ontario man from Fergus told CTV News Wednesday he will never return to Mexico after being brutally beaten outside a restaurant near the same resort a year ago.

Scott Giddy was also the victim of a scam at a local medical clinic he was first taken to by a taxi driver where he spent 45 minutes, and was then forced pay a $4,700 bill on a credit card before being permitted to leave.

He and his wife, Sarah Giddy, said when he was finally taken to a hospital the family was harassed by the facility's money collectors to pay a $45,000 medical bill or that Scott's treatment would end.

With files from CTVNews.ca's John Size