Mexico's attorney general announced Saturday he disciplined a crime scene investigator who admitted to leaking graphic photos of a slain Canadian couple to a tabloid newspaper.

Domenic and Nancy Ianiero of Woodbridge, Ont. were killed in February while in Mexico to attend their daughter's wedding.

The photos show the Ianieros lying in a large pool of blood in their hotel room at a Cancun holiday resort.

Attorney General Bello Melchor Rodriguez said Jorge Fernando Lopez, an investigator in the case, had admitted to releasing the photos. No decision had been made on whether Lopez would face criminal charges, but Rodriguez delivered a stern scolding.

"This type of employee doesn't deserve to stay inside this institution," he said in a statement.

The gruesome images were run on the front page of the Mexican newspaper Quequi on Thursday, as Prime Minister Stephen Harper met with Mexican President Vicente Fox and U.S. President George Bush.

Dominic Ianiero is shown with his throat slashed, while Nancy Ianiero is pictured lying face down near the door, wearing what appears to be a night gown.

As soon as the photos were published, Rodriguez announced the leak was under investigation, and by Saturday Lopez had admitted passing the photos on to the paper.

Lawyer Edward Greenspan, representing the family of the slain couple, said on Friday that the investigation had been bungled at the highest levels, and even accused the Mexican president of interfering.

"We were all quite astounded when the President of Mexico, Vicente Fox, saw fit to publicly talk about the murders," Greenspan told reporters in Toronto.

"It is beyond the pale, and totally improper in a volatile domestic homicide for the leader of a country -- even a country not known for its reticence -- to publicly announce before an investigation is half underway that the criminals are Canadian, and in fact may be within the wedding party."

The Ianieros' relatives have hired Greenspan in the hopes of ensuring a proper criminal investigation is carried out in Mexico.

Greenspan alleges Fox is trying to protect Mexico's tourism industry, and he is urging Canadians to stay away from the popular vacation destination.

"Mexico is not a very safe country at all. In my view, until a killer is brought to justice, Canadians should stay out of Mexico for their own safety," he claimed.

Greenspan added that, for "all practical purposes, (Fox) has destroyed any confidence that the investigation will be conducted with the fairness and impartiality that is required to bring about a just charge."

Canadian suspects

Two Canadian women from Thunder Bay, Ont., have been considered suspects in the case by Mexican authorities, and have come forward several times to claim their innocence.

Cheryl Everall and Kimberly Kim, who were staying in a room down the hall from the murder victims, called on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to take action in the case.

"We haven't heard anything back yet, but that's why we're speaking publicly now," Everall told CTV's Canada AM. "I think this is an issue of importance not only to clear our name but to demand justice for this family."

The women believe there is no basis for the accusations against them.

Harper said he is confident Mexican authorities have no plans to try to extradite any Canadians suspected or linked to the slayings.

The prime minister spoke Friday at a press conference in Cancun, Mexico, at the conclusion of annual trilateral meetings with Bush and Fox.

"We have been told once again, and I believe we've been saying this for some time, there is no extradition demand pending, nor is there one anticipated in the near future," Harper said.

Both Harper and Fox praised the level of cooperation between the two countries, but said little about the investigation.

Greenspan said he's disappointed with the prime minister's actions.

"We are disappointed that Prime Minister Harper didn't take the opportunity at Cancun yesterday to chastise the Mexican president for his official comments about the case."