A woman found dead in Mexico's Yucatan state Friday morning has been identified as a 74-year-old photographer from Maple Ridge, B.C.

The body of Barbara McClatchie Andrews, whose work has appeared in National Geographic, was found by the side of a highway that connects the state capital of Merida with Cancun, according to local officials.

Newspaper The Yucatan Times has reported the photographer was brutally strangled to death, and had been struck several times in the face and on her body.

Police told the paper they believe McClatchie Andrews was likely killed somewhere else and then transported to the scene.

Eva Boyd says she is reeling from the loss of her friend of 30 years – a woman she describes as an artist, world traveler, teacher, photojournalist, and mother.

“She was an incredible character in the best sense of the word,” Boyd told CTV News. “She was a larger than life character… it’s absolutely horrible.”

According to the photographer's website, McClatchie Andrews had homes in both Vancouver and Merida.

Her career took her to more than 50 developing countries, and her photos and photo essays were published in several publications, including The World & I and Archaeology magazines.

She also ran a non-profit gallery for established and emerging artists in Mexico, and some of her work is featured in a gallery in downtown Vancouver.

Friends have been tracing her steps, puzzled how a woman that had travelled so extensively ended up murdered on the side of a road.

McClatchie Andrews was in Vancouver on Sept. 20, then flew to San Diego and New York City. When she arrived in Cancun Thursday night she called her housekeeper to let her know she was enroute – but never arrived.

“She’s not the kind of person who would get into a car that was unsafe,” said Boyd. “She had spidey senses… she was the most self-reliant person, and she was also tough.”

McClatchie Andrews' family is on their way to Merida. Canadian officials say they are in contact with local authorities, and an investigation is ongoing.

With files from Rena Heer and The Canadian Press