Community Chat

[colliemom4]

A little off topic, but for the past several years I've heard of about half a dozen people or so that drank in Mexico and died. Some were only teens. I posted this if anyone is interested.

[RetRN]

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@chrystaltree wrote:

It's not so scary to me.  We hope to get a nice deal on a late  Fall trip there since they say people are canceling trips.  A handful of suspicious deaths out of the hundreds of thousands of tourists visits doesn't even compute if you wanted a statistic.  I'm discounting all the "I was there 8 months ago and got sick" stories.  People want to jump on that bandwagon.  However, I do think somone was probably poisoning something in the mini bars at the hotel where the recent deaths occurred.  If not that, it's probably something environmental.  Whatever happened, it will all be figured out.  

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Have fun, LOL.

[sidsmom]

Here’s another instance:

[golding76]

Has the death of this New Jersey man been included in this thread?  No. 9.

Officials are investigating the death of another U.S. citizen in the Dominican Republic.

Joseph Allen, 55, of Avenel, New Jersey, was found dead in a Dominican Republic hotel room on June 13, according to his family members. Officials have not yet revealed a cause of death.

“We offer our sincerest condolences to the family for their loss,” a spokesperson with the U.S. Department of State said. “Out of respect for the family during this difficult time, we do not have additional information to provide.”

Allen's family told NBC 4 New York he and his friends were staying at the Terra Linda in Sosua. On June 12, Allen complained about being hot at the pool and was going to take a shower and lie down for the night, according to his friends.

"The next morning, they called for a wellness check when they didn't hear from him," a family spokesperson said. "They found his body cold, leading them to believe he died the night before."

The family said Allen was healthy and had just passed a physical before heading to the Dominican Republic, which he visited often.

"That's his vacation spot," the spokesperson said.

• 3 Deaths, 1 Attack in the Dominican Republic: What We Know

Allen's 23-year-old son had went down to the Dominican Republic to spend time with him on Father's Day only to discover he had passed.

The family is currently trying to get Allen's body back to the United States in order to get an official cause of death.

Allen is the ninth American to die in the Dominican Republic within the past year and a half, according to NB... Local government authorities have promised they’re working with U.S. authorities to investigate the recent deaths of a Maryland couple and a Pennsylvania woman in Bahia Principe resorts in May, while saying the cases are “unrelated and isolated.”

3 Americans Die at Same Dominican Republic Resort

Alberto Pimienta, of NBC4's sister station Telemundo 44, reports live from the Dominican Republic resort where three Americans where found dead days apart. The resort company says there's no indication that the cases are related. ... .

Read more

(Published Friday, June 7, 2019)

Another American woman also died at the Excellence resort in Punta Cana earlier this month.

News of the deaths prompted other American families to share similar stories of their loved ones mysteriously dying while staying at resorts in the Dominican Republic. At least half a dozen people reportedly fell ill while staying at resorts and at least two of them died after drinking from minibars, family members said.

The deaths, along with the shooting of former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz and the beating of a Delaware woman in a Punta Cana resort back in January, have raised safety concerns among those planning to visit the island.

• No Hit to DR Tourism Over Safety Fears, Travel Experts Say

Despite this, news of the deaths and violence have not led to a slew of canceled trips, according to some industry... They said however that a snapshot of the overall impact on tourism in the Dominican Republic won't be clear until the government issues its next report in the fall.

 

[lovesrecess]

I read today that a woman whose husband died in DR was approached by officials and told to have his body cremated as soon as possible. My guess is they didn’t want anyone to do an autopsy after returning his remains to the US. Apparently true autopsies have not been done on those whose deaths have been reported....only basic examinations that conclude the cause of death as heart attack or fluid in the lungs.

[Calcgirl]

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@colliemom4 wrote:

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@sidsmom wrote:

I would think Hawaii would be a beautiful substitute, yes?

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@sidsmom  Hawaii would definitely be more expensive. I think one of the reasons people go to the Dominican Republic is the bargain trip prices.

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FYI:

The crime rate in Hawaii is high. I am not certain there is anywhere where you are totally safe.  People need to be vigilant at home and on vacation.  I have heard of people getting ill and dying in Cancun Mexico at a very high end resort due to alcohol poisoning.  Part of the problem is the booze is free so people drink it like it is water and too nuch alcohol in a short period ( not to mention hte heat) can kill a person.

[cherry]

@golding76  thank you for posting this. I read about  this and was hoping someone else would post it

[lovesrecess]

That is true at many resort area in other countries as well. Nice, opulent resort areas and a mile or so away, abject poverty....the last report I heard this morning says they are suspecting pesticide poisoning...but each victim has had drinks at the poolside bars or from the minibars in their rooms...so that seems to be a common thread.

[lovesrecess]

I saw a Round Up commercial last night on tv and am amazed it is still on the market. The company has lost several lawsuits because the product is now a known carcinogen...guess the company has deep enough pockets to continue to kill people and also stay on the market.

[lovesrecess]

Friends went on a cruise out of Galveston and it stopped at Cancun and Belize....Belize has the highest crime rate per capita in the entire world...probably because it is a very small country by population. Three people on the cruise were robbed and one beaten while they were off the ship on an excursion. The cruise company flew all three of the victims and their families home as soon as they were well enough to go. Belize looks beautiful and not as touristy as Cancun so I once wanted to go there...not any more!