Police tape marks a crime scene in this file photo.JOHN LEHMANN
Police in Jamaica are investigating the death of a 53-year-old Canadian woman whose body was found Monday afternoon.
A report on the Jamaica Observer website says the woman has been identified as Shirley Lewis-McFarlane, who is reportedly from Aurora, Ont.
The cause of death is not yet known.
However, the Observer reports the body of Lewis-McFarlane was found in a bedroom in a house in the north shore community of Saint Ann with bruises to her face.
Police reportedly said there were no signs of forced entry to the house where she was staying.
Lewis-McFarlane had reportedly arrived in the island recently and it's believed she visited the island on numerous occasions.
Her friends and relatives voiced their shock and grief on Facebook, recalling her "adventurous spirit" and "contagious" laugh.
"This doesn't seem real. All of this – her death, the news stories, the little details that go with trying to plan for her remembrance," wrote a woman who identified herself as Lewis-McFarlane's daughter.
"Mom, we'll try to give you everything you would have wanted. You didn't deserve any of what happened, but you deserve a beautiful place to rest," Jasmine Gavigan wrote.
Stephanie Dawber-Richards, who said she used to live next door to Lewis-McFarlane and her three children, said her friend will be sorely missed.
"Shirley, you are a fantastic woman and mother and will always be remembered for the remarkable woman you were," she wrote.
"RIP Shirley, may your rays of happiness shine down on us and fill our lives with the joy you had."