Kimberley Blackwell was a tough cookie.

The 53-year-old, originally from Whitehorse, was used to rough conditions, hard work and wasn't afraid of much.

When poachers trekked through her farm in Costa Rica en route to hunt illegally in a nearby national park, she confronted them without batting an eyelid.

Now, days after Blackwell was found beaten and shot to death just steps from her home in rural Puerto Jimenez, it's these same poachers who come to mind.

"She was a very brave, fiery woman. She did not back off,” said Lauren Cleaver, who knew Blackwell for years.

"We know she had been having confrontations with these people; that is probably the motive.”

Local authorities are treating Blackwell's death as a homicide, and Canadian consular officials are assisting with the investigation. Her family in Canada has also hired a private attorney to dig for the truth.

The death has rocked the quiet rural community that doesn't see much crime.

Blackwell lived alone in an open-concept farm house which had no exterior walls, as there was little need for them.

"It's an incredible shock to all of us; this is not a violent place,” Cleaver told The Canadian Press. "She was brutally murdered.”

Friends last spoke to Blackwell on the afternoon of Jan. 30.

Her body was found early last Wednesday morning by park rangers who frequently dropped by to say hello.

A coroner's report expected later today is expected to pin down just when she died.

Cleaver said local authorities have a few suspects in mind and are hoping to make arrests soon. One man was taken into custody but was later released, as there wasn't enough evidence to hold him, she said.

In an effort to push the investigation forward, a group of Blackwell's friends are putting up posters in the area and offering a reward for any information on who might have been behind her death.

A memorial is also being planned in Whitehorse, though the time and place have yet to be determined.

Blackwell moved to Costa Rica nearly 20 years ago and eventually set up a small chocolate business.

Samaritan Xocolata sold organic products made from cacao trees grown on Blackwell's own property.

Area resident Tao Watts said Blackwell worked hard to help the local economy by hiring women from the neighbourhood to help make her products.

"When she set out to do something, she wanted it to be the best that it could be,” said Watts, who was Blackwell's best friend for the past 17 years. "She was a supernova.”

Blackwell is remembered by her friends as a vibrant spirit and a fierce animal lover. She was also the kind of woman who built her own log cabin in the Yukon and was accustomed to being the only female among several male loggers out in the wild.

"She was a tough Yukon woman; she brought that with her down here,” said 50-year-old Watts. "That same pioneer spirit.”

A memorial for Blackwell took place Sunday.

She will eventually be cremated, with half her ashes flown back to Canada and the rest scattered around places in Costa Rica that she loved.

To those who knew her, Blackwell's brutal death has sparked outrage and a strong desire for her killer to be brought to justice.

Watts said many will also be taking up Blackwell's fight against illegal poaching.

For her part, though, Watts said, the loss is still raw.

"She's my best friend and I miss her terribly.”

By Diana Mehta

The Canadian Press