Dominican Republic hires ‘crisis management’ amid PR nightmares
Dominican Republic authorities are working with “crisis management” specialists over a double-whammy of a public relations nightmare — the mysterious deaths of tourists and the shooting of baseball legend David Ortiz, according to a report.
“Unfortunately, the unrelated incidents coincided in timing,” André Van Der Horst, the tourism adviser to the Dominican Republic government, told the Washington Post.
“With social media today, we are exposed and require an immediate response to the current public relations dynamic, a new reality worldwide.
“We are not used to this type of viral communicational outburst and are working with crisis management specialists to establish reaction protocols.”
The island — a major vacation spot for Americans — was already reeling from accounts of at least six American tourists dying under mysterious circumstances at exclusive, all-inclusive resorts there.
Tourists already wary of the island then saw beloved former Red Sox slugger Ortiz shot in the back as he sipped drinks in a bar in the capital of Santo Domingo Sunday night.
The government on Monday launched a #BeFairWithDR social media hashtag to try to keep up with the online spread of news, the report said.
“To judge an entire country for isolated events is unfair,” government spokesman Roberto Rodriguez Marchena complained, according to the paper.
Roughly 2.7 million Americans visit the Dominican Republic annually, accounting for almost half the country’s tourists, the report said.
“We are immensely worried because all the speculation affects the image of the island and the minds of those who visit us,” Paola Rainieri, president of the Dominican National Association of Hotels and Tourism, told the paper, blaming “irrational and unfair conclusions about isolated incidents.”
“They may cancel their trips despite a lack of evidence.”
Local taxi driver Elias Cadete, 67, told the paper, “It’s worrying because tourism is the spinal cord of our economy.
“If tourism falls, my country falls.”
https://nypost.com/2019/06/12/domin...w&utm_medium=SocialFlow&utm_source=NYPTwitter
Dominican Republic authorities are working with “crisis management” specialists over a double-whammy of a public relations nightmare — the mysterious deaths of tourists and the shooting of baseball legend David Ortiz, according to a report.
“Unfortunately, the unrelated incidents coincided in timing,” André Van Der Horst, the tourism adviser to the Dominican Republic government, told the Washington Post.
“With social media today, we are exposed and require an immediate response to the current public relations dynamic, a new reality worldwide.
“We are not used to this type of viral communicational outburst and are working with crisis management specialists to establish reaction protocols.”
The island — a major vacation spot for Americans — was already reeling from accounts of at least six American tourists dying under mysterious circumstances at exclusive, all-inclusive resorts there.
Tourists already wary of the island then saw beloved former Red Sox slugger Ortiz shot in the back as he sipped drinks in a bar in the capital of Santo Domingo Sunday night.
The government on Monday launched a #BeFairWithDR social media hashtag to try to keep up with the online spread of news, the report said.
“To judge an entire country for isolated events is unfair,” government spokesman Roberto Rodriguez Marchena complained, according to the paper.
Roughly 2.7 million Americans visit the Dominican Republic annually, accounting for almost half the country’s tourists, the report said.
“We are immensely worried because all the speculation affects the image of the island and the minds of those who visit us,” Paola Rainieri, president of the Dominican National Association of Hotels and Tourism, told the paper, blaming “irrational and unfair conclusions about isolated incidents.”
“They may cancel their trips despite a lack of evidence.”
Local taxi driver Elias Cadete, 67, told the paper, “It’s worrying because tourism is the spinal cord of our economy.
“If tourism falls, my country falls.”
https://nypost.com/2019/06/12/domin...w&utm_medium=SocialFlow&utm_source=NYPTwitter
Tourist returns from nightmare Dominican Republic trip: ‘Just don’t go’
A Florida man who fell sick with a mystery illness during a Dominican Republic vacation is warning other travelers to avoid the country altogether, according to reports.
“Don’t go,” said Jerry Martin, who went with his wife to Caribe Club Princess Beach Resort & Spa in Punta Cana last month for their 40th wedding anniversary — before reports surfaced of American tourists dying at other hotels on the island, according to news station WTVT. “Just don’t go.”
Within days of arriving on May 17, Martin reportedly became severely sick with stomach pain while swimming in the pool.
“Fire in the bottom of my stomach. Pain, excruciating pain,” Martin told WTVT. “We were down at the pool when it hit, and I had to go up and just lay down and hold my stomach. It was on fire.”
Martin said he was unable to enjoy the rest of his week-long vacation because of the illness. He went to the emergency room once he returned home to Plant City, Florida.
Now three weeks later, Martin said he’s still suffering from symptoms and visited the hospital five times. He claimed he has continued to lose weight and undergone tests to get to the bottom of his health woes.
“I am scared, honestly,” he told the news station. “I told my wife we won’t go out of the country again.”
A rep for the resort didn’t immediately respond to request for comment.
Martin, who said he’s not sure if his illness is linked to the deaths, said there’s “no way” he would’ve gone had he known about the terrifying reports out of the country, including four fatalities within two months.
The day after Martin returned home, Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, of Pennsylvania succumbed to a heart attack on May 25 at the Grand Bahia Principe Hotel in La Romana.
Five days later, Nathaniel Holmes, 63, and Cynthia Ann Day, 49, of Maryland were found dead at the same resort from pulmonary edema and respiratory failure.
Relatives revealed earlier this week that 67-year-old Robert Wallace from California died on April 11 in Punta Cana. He reportedly became ill after having a drink from the minibar at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino resort, around five miles from where Martin stayed with his wife.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...are-dominican-republic-trip-just-dont-go/amp/
A Florida man who fell sick with a mystery illness during a Dominican Republic vacation is warning other travelers to avoid the country altogether, according to reports.
“Don’t go,” said Jerry Martin, who went with his wife to Caribe Club Princess Beach Resort & Spa in Punta Cana last month for their 40th wedding anniversary — before reports surfaced of American tourists dying at other hotels on the island, according to news station WTVT. “Just don’t go.”
Within days of arriving on May 17, Martin reportedly became severely sick with stomach pain while swimming in the pool.
“Fire in the bottom of my stomach. Pain, excruciating pain,” Martin told WTVT. “We were down at the pool when it hit, and I had to go up and just lay down and hold my stomach. It was on fire.”
Martin said he was unable to enjoy the rest of his week-long vacation because of the illness. He went to the emergency room once he returned home to Plant City, Florida.
Now three weeks later, Martin said he’s still suffering from symptoms and visited the hospital five times. He claimed he has continued to lose weight and undergone tests to get to the bottom of his health woes.
“I am scared, honestly,” he told the news station. “I told my wife we won’t go out of the country again.”
A rep for the resort didn’t immediately respond to request for comment.
Martin, who said he’s not sure if his illness is linked to the deaths, said there’s “no way” he would’ve gone had he known about the terrifying reports out of the country, including four fatalities within two months.
The day after Martin returned home, Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, of Pennsylvania succumbed to a heart attack on May 25 at the Grand Bahia Principe Hotel in La Romana.
Five days later, Nathaniel Holmes, 63, and Cynthia Ann Day, 49, of Maryland were found dead at the same resort from pulmonary edema and respiratory failure.
Relatives revealed earlier this week that 67-year-old Robert Wallace from California died on April 11 in Punta Cana. He reportedly became ill after having a drink from the minibar at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino resort, around five miles from where Martin stayed with his wife.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...are-dominican-republic-trip-just-dont-go/amp/
Brother of 'Shark Tank' star Barbara Corcoran found dead in Dominican Republic hotel room
Jonathan Corcoran, a retired New Jersey businessman and brother of ABC-TV "Shark Tank" judge Barbara Corcoran, was found dead in April in a Dominican Republic hotel room.
The news of his death, first reported by the gossip site TMZ and confirmed to Fox News by Emily Burke, who is Barbara Corcoran's assistant, comes as the popular Caribbean vacation spot is making worldwide headlines because of a rash of deaths of U.S. tourists -- many of whom became suddenly and critically ill at their hotels -- that are being called puzzling and suspicious by the relatives of most of them.
"John Corcoran passed away at the end of April in the DR from what is believed to be natural causes," Burke said in a statement to Fox News. "He loved and frequently visited the Dominican Republic. Barbara would like to respect the privacy of his children and is not releasing any other information at this time."
TMZ said that Barbara Corcoran told the outlet that her brother, who lived in New Jersey, where they grew up, had gone to the Dominican Republic with a friend on what was his annual vacation. Corcoran said the friend, who was sharing the suite with her brother, found his body. TMZ said no one knows exactly what led to his death, though Corcoran told the outlet that she was told he had a heart attack. TMZ said that she was not aware of an autopsy having been conducted.
It was unclear at which hotel Corcoran was staying.
Asked to confirm his death, and the date and location, the U.S. State Department told Fox News: "We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in April 2019 in the Dominican Republic. We offer our sincerest condolences to the family for their loss. Out of respect for the family during this difficult time, we do not have additional information to provide."
The news of his death comes as teams of experts and inspectors from several international agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, conduct tests at the Bahia Principe properties where some of U.S. tourists died. It was unclear whether they inspected other resorts. The FBI confirmed to Fox News on Friday it was assisting Dominican authorities in investigating the deaths.The testing and the FBI's involvement marked the first public indications that officials in the U.S. and the Dominican Republic have considered the possibility of something other than natural causes.
The deaths have baffled people around the world because, among other things, they involved tourists whose families and friends described them as relatively healthy, and exhibiting no signs of illness before they fell sick. Dominican authorities cited nearly identical conditions, including pulmonary edema -- where the lungs fill with fluid -- for several of them. Some of the deceased who were said to have died of heart attacks had not displayed symptoms or had a heart condition, according to their families.
Also, some of the tourists consumed a beverage from the room minibar before becoming suddenly ill. Scores of people who traveled to the Dominican Republic in recent years have reached out to Fox News with accounts of having fallen ill after having a beverage from their room minibar or buying one elsewhere in their resort. Others have described having gotten severely sick after smelling what seemed to be strong chemicals that they thought might have been insecticide or pesticides.
One of the most puzzling cases remains the deaths of an engaged couple, Edward Holmes and Cynthia Day of Maryland, who were found dead in their room on May 30 by a resort employee. Prior to their death, they had posted photos on social media saying they were enjoying their vacation. They were diagnosed as having had pulmonary edema, among other conditions. Their bodies were flown back to the United States this week. An attorney representing them has vowed to have an autopsy conducted in the United States.
Five days before Holmes and Day were found dead, a Pennsylvania psychotherapist, Miranda Schaup-Werner, died in an adjacent hotel owned by the same luxury five-star Bahia Principe resort group. Her husband said that his wife, 41, collapsed after having the minibar drink at the Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville. Dominican authorities said she died of a heart attack, though her family said she was healthy.
On Sunday, Fox News learned that a California man, Robert Bell Wallace, died in his room in April after he fell critically ill at the all-inclusive Hard Rock resort in Punta Cana.
Many U.S. travelers have canceled, or tried to cancel, reservations for Dominican Republic vacations. The Daily Mail reported that Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo decided to "flee" the Hard Rock resort, where he was staying with his family, after learning about Wallace's death.
"He is just being cautious," the news outlet quoted an unidentified friend as saying. "He doesn't wish to take any chances."
In recent days, the family of a Pennsylvania woman who was vacationing in the Dominican Republic last year said she died in her room at the Bahia Principe Resort in Punta Cana after she had a drink from the minibar. Relatives of Yvette Monique Sport, 51, told Fox 29 Philadelphia she was visiting the popular tourist spot last June, had a drink, later went to bed, and never woke up. Her death certificate said her official cause of death was a heart attack.
“It’s a complete fabrication,” Felecia Nieves, Sport's sister, said, “that you could have as many people and they all have the same cookie-cutter outcome. It’s impossible.”
Nieves said she planned to reach out to other families and press for answers.
TMZ said that Barbara Corcoran, one of 10 siblings, described Jonathan as "my favorite brother."
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainme...-dead-in-dominican-republic-hotel-room-report
Jonathan Corcoran, a retired New Jersey businessman and brother of ABC-TV "Shark Tank" judge Barbara Corcoran, was found dead in April in a Dominican Republic hotel room.
The news of his death, first reported by the gossip site TMZ and confirmed to Fox News by Emily Burke, who is Barbara Corcoran's assistant, comes as the popular Caribbean vacation spot is making worldwide headlines because of a rash of deaths of U.S. tourists -- many of whom became suddenly and critically ill at their hotels -- that are being called puzzling and suspicious by the relatives of most of them.
"John Corcoran passed away at the end of April in the DR from what is believed to be natural causes," Burke said in a statement to Fox News. "He loved and frequently visited the Dominican Republic. Barbara would like to respect the privacy of his children and is not releasing any other information at this time."
TMZ said that Barbara Corcoran told the outlet that her brother, who lived in New Jersey, where they grew up, had gone to the Dominican Republic with a friend on what was his annual vacation. Corcoran said the friend, who was sharing the suite with her brother, found his body. TMZ said no one knows exactly what led to his death, though Corcoran told the outlet that she was told he had a heart attack. TMZ said that she was not aware of an autopsy having been conducted.
It was unclear at which hotel Corcoran was staying.
Asked to confirm his death, and the date and location, the U.S. State Department told Fox News: "We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in April 2019 in the Dominican Republic. We offer our sincerest condolences to the family for their loss. Out of respect for the family during this difficult time, we do not have additional information to provide."
The news of his death comes as teams of experts and inspectors from several international agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, conduct tests at the Bahia Principe properties where some of U.S. tourists died. It was unclear whether they inspected other resorts. The FBI confirmed to Fox News on Friday it was assisting Dominican authorities in investigating the deaths.The testing and the FBI's involvement marked the first public indications that officials in the U.S. and the Dominican Republic have considered the possibility of something other than natural causes.
The deaths have baffled people around the world because, among other things, they involved tourists whose families and friends described them as relatively healthy, and exhibiting no signs of illness before they fell sick. Dominican authorities cited nearly identical conditions, including pulmonary edema -- where the lungs fill with fluid -- for several of them. Some of the deceased who were said to have died of heart attacks had not displayed symptoms or had a heart condition, according to their families.
Also, some of the tourists consumed a beverage from the room minibar before becoming suddenly ill. Scores of people who traveled to the Dominican Republic in recent years have reached out to Fox News with accounts of having fallen ill after having a beverage from their room minibar or buying one elsewhere in their resort. Others have described having gotten severely sick after smelling what seemed to be strong chemicals that they thought might have been insecticide or pesticides.
One of the most puzzling cases remains the deaths of an engaged couple, Edward Holmes and Cynthia Day of Maryland, who were found dead in their room on May 30 by a resort employee. Prior to their death, they had posted photos on social media saying they were enjoying their vacation. They were diagnosed as having had pulmonary edema, among other conditions. Their bodies were flown back to the United States this week. An attorney representing them has vowed to have an autopsy conducted in the United States.
Five days before Holmes and Day were found dead, a Pennsylvania psychotherapist, Miranda Schaup-Werner, died in an adjacent hotel owned by the same luxury five-star Bahia Principe resort group. Her husband said that his wife, 41, collapsed after having the minibar drink at the Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville. Dominican authorities said she died of a heart attack, though her family said she was healthy.
On Sunday, Fox News learned that a California man, Robert Bell Wallace, died in his room in April after he fell critically ill at the all-inclusive Hard Rock resort in Punta Cana.
Many U.S. travelers have canceled, or tried to cancel, reservations for Dominican Republic vacations. The Daily Mail reported that Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo decided to "flee" the Hard Rock resort, where he was staying with his family, after learning about Wallace's death.
"He is just being cautious," the news outlet quoted an unidentified friend as saying. "He doesn't wish to take any chances."
In recent days, the family of a Pennsylvania woman who was vacationing in the Dominican Republic last year said she died in her room at the Bahia Principe Resort in Punta Cana after she had a drink from the minibar. Relatives of Yvette Monique Sport, 51, told Fox 29 Philadelphia she was visiting the popular tourist spot last June, had a drink, later went to bed, and never woke up. Her death certificate said her official cause of death was a heart attack.
“It’s a complete fabrication,” Felecia Nieves, Sport's sister, said, “that you could have as many people and they all have the same cookie-cutter outcome. It’s impossible.”
Nieves said she planned to reach out to other families and press for answers.
TMZ said that Barbara Corcoran, one of 10 siblings, described Jonathan as "my favorite brother."
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainme...-dead-in-dominican-republic-hotel-room-report
Yoga teacher dragged out to sea is latest to die in Dominican Republic
A 42-year-old yoga teacher from Pennsylvania died this week when she was swept out to sea in the Dominican Republic — the eighth American tourist death reported in the country in recent weeks.
Surely Miller’s body was recovered by a local fisherman Wednesday after she vanished from a beach the day before in Cabarete, Dominican Today reported.
The mom of three went out for a swim Tuesday near the coastal province of Puerto Plata before she was dragged out to sea by a rip current and carried more than two miles from the coast, according to the report.
Miller owned a studio named Surely Yoga in Slatington, where she also taught classes that “aim to help others to intelligently know and heal their bodies,” according to her bio.
She said she previously studied in New York, Miami, Orlando, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
Another local studio where she taught, Tribe Yoga, confirmed her death Wednesday in a Facebook post.
“Honoring our beloved friend and teacher Surely Miller tomorrow,” the studio said, adding that they will hold a class “dedicated to her beautiful spirit.”
Friends and students also took to social media to mourn the teacher’s death.
“Just heartbreaking. Surely Miller was so full of love and life. She will be greatly missed,” Rebecca Olesen wrote on Facebook.
Friends launched a GoFundMe page that will raise money for her three sons, 15-year-old Dylan, 13-year-old Miles and 10-year-old Preston.
“Surely has blessed so many of us with her warm healing touch and the best thing we can do for her now is make sure her children are taken care of,” the page said.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...-sea-is-latest-to-die-dominican-republic/amp/
A 42-year-old yoga teacher from Pennsylvania died this week when she was swept out to sea in the Dominican Republic — the eighth American tourist death reported in the country in recent weeks.
Surely Miller’s body was recovered by a local fisherman Wednesday after she vanished from a beach the day before in Cabarete, Dominican Today reported.
The mom of three went out for a swim Tuesday near the coastal province of Puerto Plata before she was dragged out to sea by a rip current and carried more than two miles from the coast, according to the report.
Miller owned a studio named Surely Yoga in Slatington, where she also taught classes that “aim to help others to intelligently know and heal their bodies,” according to her bio.
She said she previously studied in New York, Miami, Orlando, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
Another local studio where she taught, Tribe Yoga, confirmed her death Wednesday in a Facebook post.
“Honoring our beloved friend and teacher Surely Miller tomorrow,” the studio said, adding that they will hold a class “dedicated to her beautiful spirit.”
Friends and students also took to social media to mourn the teacher’s death.
“Just heartbreaking. Surely Miller was so full of love and life. She will be greatly missed,” Rebecca Olesen wrote on Facebook.
Friends launched a GoFundMe page that will raise money for her three sons, 15-year-old Dylan, 13-year-old Miles and 10-year-old Preston.
“Surely has blessed so many of us with her warm healing touch and the best thing we can do for her now is make sure her children are taken care of,” the page said.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...-sea-is-latest-to-die-dominican-republic/amp/
I'm headed there in 2 weeks, i'll let you know how it all goes, 2 years ago i went to Europe, all i heard was about terrorism and ISIS, 5 mysterious deaths this year huh? (dragged out to sea cause of a rip current and the 2 that crashed over the cliff don't count) I'll take my chances, its safer than living here in Charlotte, the number of deaths (homicides, violent crimes, etc...) here just in a month blows 5 out of the water
Also...if you don't know how to swim out of a rip current you don't need to be going into the ocean
2 years ago I was in either St Kitts or Martinique, it was a stop on a cruise, and we took it easy that day cause we were hung over and just got a guy to drive us around the island on a tour, I asked him where he vacations and he told me Barbados, I asked him if he's ever been to the States and he told me No Way he'd ever come here cause he was afraid of getting shot...and he's right if you think about it
Also...if you don't know how to swim out of a rip current you don't need to be going into the ocean
2 years ago I was in either St Kitts or Martinique, it was a stop on a cruise, and we took it easy that day cause we were hung over and just got a guy to drive us around the island on a tour, I asked him where he vacations and he told me Barbados, I asked him if he's ever been to the States and he told me No Way he'd ever come here cause he was afraid of getting shot...and he's right if you think about it
Authorities eyeing bootleg liquor as potential cause of DR tourist deaths
Cops are investigating whether at least seven tourists who mysteriously died in the Dominican Republic were poisoned by counterfeit booze, The Post has learned.
Officials want to know who supplied the alcoholic beverages the victims drank in the minutes and hours before their deaths over the past year — and if the drinks had any dangerous chemicals in them, law enforcement sources said.
The FBI is assisting and will take blood samples from the dead back to its research center in Quantico, Va., a source said.
The Dominican government insists the fatalities are isolated incidents, while reps for both of the resorts where victims have died — the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Bahia Principe — described the deaths as simple accidents.
But most of the deaths bear similarities, as they involve apparently healthy adults — at least some of whom drank from their hotel room minibar before suddenly becoming gravely sick.
Five American tourists have died in mysterious circumstances on the island this year, while the family of two others who died in 2018 say they now suspect their loved ones met foul play.
Others have reported falling ill, but surviving, after drinking from their minibars.
A Post reporter at one of the resorts noted the vodka in the room had a strange, potent smell resembling pure alcohol.
Lawrence Kobilinsky, a forensic science professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan, said the symptoms among some of the dead — including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea — were consistent with poisoning from methanol or pesticides.
Methanol is a type of alcohol not safe for humans. It is regularly used as antifreeze.
“Adulterated alcohol is usually methanol added to alcohol or just plain methanol, which is very, very toxic,” Kobilinsky said.
“It looks to me, from what I’ve heard and read, is that something was added to the drinks or bottles in those little refrigerators.”
Health inspectors from multiple agencies conducted extensive tests on the pool, air conditioning units, food areas and alcohol at two Bahia Principe resorts where three visitors died, said the Dominican Ministry of Public Health. They are waiting for the results.
“There should be no methanol at all” in the liquor, Kobilinsky said. “If it’s there, it means it’s been adulterated or put there deliberately.”
In 2017, Dominican National Police dismantled five labs used for the manufacture of alcohol not safe for human consumption.
But Hard Rock bartender Angel Santana, 43, said contamination claims were “not possible.”
“I have been working here for nine years, and everything here has always been very safe,” he said.
In a statement, the Hard Rock said clinical tests from Hospiten Bavaro, a hospital in Punta Cana, showed both deaths at its resort were caused by heart attacks.
The hotel also said it buys only “unopened products from licensed and reputable vendors.”
The first suspicious death at the Hard Rock came in July 2018, when American tourist David Harrison, 45, fell ill in his room and died. On April 14, Robert Bell Wallace, 67, also died there.
On May 25, Miranda Schaupp-Werner, 41, of Pennsylvania, died after drinking from the minibar of her room at the Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville resort.
Five days later, Maryland couple Nathaniel Edward Holmes, 63, and Cynthia Day, 49 were found dead in their room at the neighboring Grand Bahia Principe.
Yvette Monique Short, of Philadelphia, died in June 2018 after drinking from her minibar at the resort.
The family of a seventh person, Leyla Cox of Staten Island, said on Thursday that she died mysteriously in her room during a trip last week. It was not clear where she was staying.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...-as-potential-cause-of-dr-tourist-deaths/amp/
Cops are investigating whether at least seven tourists who mysteriously died in the Dominican Republic were poisoned by counterfeit booze, The Post has learned.
Officials want to know who supplied the alcoholic beverages the victims drank in the minutes and hours before their deaths over the past year — and if the drinks had any dangerous chemicals in them, law enforcement sources said.
The FBI is assisting and will take blood samples from the dead back to its research center in Quantico, Va., a source said.
The Dominican government insists the fatalities are isolated incidents, while reps for both of the resorts where victims have died — the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and Bahia Principe — described the deaths as simple accidents.
But most of the deaths bear similarities, as they involve apparently healthy adults — at least some of whom drank from their hotel room minibar before suddenly becoming gravely sick.
Five American tourists have died in mysterious circumstances on the island this year, while the family of two others who died in 2018 say they now suspect their loved ones met foul play.
Others have reported falling ill, but surviving, after drinking from their minibars.
A Post reporter at one of the resorts noted the vodka in the room had a strange, potent smell resembling pure alcohol.
Lawrence Kobilinsky, a forensic science professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan, said the symptoms among some of the dead — including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea — were consistent with poisoning from methanol or pesticides.
Methanol is a type of alcohol not safe for humans. It is regularly used as antifreeze.
“Adulterated alcohol is usually methanol added to alcohol or just plain methanol, which is very, very toxic,” Kobilinsky said.
“It looks to me, from what I’ve heard and read, is that something was added to the drinks or bottles in those little refrigerators.”
Health inspectors from multiple agencies conducted extensive tests on the pool, air conditioning units, food areas and alcohol at two Bahia Principe resorts where three visitors died, said the Dominican Ministry of Public Health. They are waiting for the results.
“There should be no methanol at all” in the liquor, Kobilinsky said. “If it’s there, it means it’s been adulterated or put there deliberately.”
In 2017, Dominican National Police dismantled five labs used for the manufacture of alcohol not safe for human consumption.
But Hard Rock bartender Angel Santana, 43, said contamination claims were “not possible.”
“I have been working here for nine years, and everything here has always been very safe,” he said.
In a statement, the Hard Rock said clinical tests from Hospiten Bavaro, a hospital in Punta Cana, showed both deaths at its resort were caused by heart attacks.
The hotel also said it buys only “unopened products from licensed and reputable vendors.”
The first suspicious death at the Hard Rock came in July 2018, when American tourist David Harrison, 45, fell ill in his room and died. On April 14, Robert Bell Wallace, 67, also died there.
On May 25, Miranda Schaupp-Werner, 41, of Pennsylvania, died after drinking from the minibar of her room at the Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville resort.
Five days later, Maryland couple Nathaniel Edward Holmes, 63, and Cynthia Day, 49 were found dead in their room at the neighboring Grand Bahia Principe.
Yvette Monique Short, of Philadelphia, died in June 2018 after drinking from her minibar at the resort.
The family of a seventh person, Leyla Cox of Staten Island, said on Thursday that she died mysteriously in her room during a trip last week. It was not clear where she was staying.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...-as-potential-cause-of-dr-tourist-deaths/amp/
NY woman, 53, died on vacation in Dominican Republic; son demands answers
A New York woman, 53, is the latest American tourist to die in the Dominican Republic, long one of the top Caribbean destinations for U.S. travelers.
Leyla Cox of New Brighton went on vacation June 5 and was expected to return on June 12, as The Staten Island Advance reported.
Cox, who had traveled alone before, was found dead of a heart attack in her hotel room, according to the news outlet.
“We can confirm the death of U.S. citizen Leyla Cox in the Dominican Republic on June 11. Out of respect for family members and loved ones we cannot comment further,” a State Department official confirmed to Fox News.
So far, at least six American tourists have died under oddly similar circumstances -- four this year, two last year -- in the Dominican Republic, a rash of deaths of seemingly healthy people.
“I am overwhelmed and confused and in shock,” William, 25, her only child, said. “With everything going on in the news right now, we think she’s a casualty of what’s been happening."
His mom’s coworker posted a tribute on Facebook.
Peggy McGinley Reilly wrote: “She turned 53 on Saturday. I want the world to know, that another US Citizen passed away in this vacation destination, that as far as I know is not being held accountable for the past transgressions. Hopefully this will be investigated.”
On Wednesday, Dominican tourism officials said they wanted to reassure U.S. tourists that U.S. federal agents and health specialists have been taking an active role investigating the deaths.
The Tourism Ministry said it wanted to “extend its sincerest condolences to the families and friends of those affected in the tragic events that have been reported over the last few weeks in the country.”
The FBI was conducting deeper analyses of toxicological results, warning that conclusions may take up to a month and urging “patience during this process.”
Leyla’s son said his family didn’t have the money to figure out any mysteries over his mother’s death.
“They’ve put me against a wall where I don’t have a choice,” he said. “Our own toxicology report would cost copious amounts of money.”
He added, “I have to get her ashes back.”
https://www.foxnews.com/world/new-york-woman-dominican-republic-dead-son-demands-answers
A New York woman, 53, is the latest American tourist to die in the Dominican Republic, long one of the top Caribbean destinations for U.S. travelers.
Leyla Cox of New Brighton went on vacation June 5 and was expected to return on June 12, as The Staten Island Advance reported.
Cox, who had traveled alone before, was found dead of a heart attack in her hotel room, according to the news outlet.
“We can confirm the death of U.S. citizen Leyla Cox in the Dominican Republic on June 11. Out of respect for family members and loved ones we cannot comment further,” a State Department official confirmed to Fox News.
So far, at least six American tourists have died under oddly similar circumstances -- four this year, two last year -- in the Dominican Republic, a rash of deaths of seemingly healthy people.
“I am overwhelmed and confused and in shock,” William, 25, her only child, said. “With everything going on in the news right now, we think she’s a casualty of what’s been happening."
His mom’s coworker posted a tribute on Facebook.
Peggy McGinley Reilly wrote: “She turned 53 on Saturday. I want the world to know, that another US Citizen passed away in this vacation destination, that as far as I know is not being held accountable for the past transgressions. Hopefully this will be investigated.”
On Wednesday, Dominican tourism officials said they wanted to reassure U.S. tourists that U.S. federal agents and health specialists have been taking an active role investigating the deaths.
The Tourism Ministry said it wanted to “extend its sincerest condolences to the families and friends of those affected in the tragic events that have been reported over the last few weeks in the country.”
The FBI was conducting deeper analyses of toxicological results, warning that conclusions may take up to a month and urging “patience during this process.”
Leyla’s son said his family didn’t have the money to figure out any mysteries over his mother’s death.
“They’ve put me against a wall where I don’t have a choice,” he said. “Our own toxicology report would cost copious amounts of money.”
He added, “I have to get her ashes back.”
https://www.foxnews.com/world/new-york-woman-dominican-republic-dead-son-demands-answers
Family reveals another tourist’s mystery death in Dominican Republic
The sudden death of yet another American tourist at a resort in the Dominican Republic is being called into question, some five months after he died.
Jerry Curran, 78, passed away on Jan. 26, three days after arriving in the country with his wife Janet, his family told WKYC 3.
“He went to the Dominican Republic healthy and he just never came back,” Curran’s daughter Kellie Brown told the local network on Wednesday. “I thought something’s not right. My father was a healthy 78-year-old, he took care of himself and I just didn’t think anything like this was possible, but then I started to hear other people’s stories.”
Curran, of Bedford, Ohio, fell ill after dinner and drinks the night he and Janet arrived at the Dreams Resort in Punta Cana. He was sent to the hospital after he began vomiting and became unresponsive.
Then, a family friend traveling with the couple called Brown with a strange demand.
“Your father needs surgery or he’s going to die and they need $50,000 and you need to send it with a copy of your passport, the front and back of your debit card and an authorization stating that you would allow them to withdraw $50,000,” Brown recalled the friend telling her.
The money was paid and Brown sent over the requested paperwork.
But her dad, who was on a ventilator, didn’t make it, the daughter learned while waiting for her flight to the DR.
“He made it through surgery and he died about eight hours later,” Brown said.
Details behind Curran’s death don’t add up, according to his family.
Four causes of death were given — pulmonary edema, cerebral hypoxia, subdural hematoma and severe encephalitic cranial trauma — and the time listed on his death certificate is 11 hours later than when Brown received the heartbreaking call.
“One of them is pulmonary edema, which seems to be common in everyone else who’s passed that we’re learning about,” Brown said.
Curran was cremated but his family plans to have his doctors review the DR medical records. Brown said she’s spoken to the FBI.
“We want to find out what happened and why did he die,” she said.
At least seven Americans have mysteriously died during stays at two resorts in the DR — most of whom after drinking from the minibar in their rooms.
Authorities are now probing whether they were poisoned by bootleg liquor, sources told The Post.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...ists-mystery-death-in-dominican-republic/amp/
The sudden death of yet another American tourist at a resort in the Dominican Republic is being called into question, some five months after he died.
Jerry Curran, 78, passed away on Jan. 26, three days after arriving in the country with his wife Janet, his family told WKYC 3.
“He went to the Dominican Republic healthy and he just never came back,” Curran’s daughter Kellie Brown told the local network on Wednesday. “I thought something’s not right. My father was a healthy 78-year-old, he took care of himself and I just didn’t think anything like this was possible, but then I started to hear other people’s stories.”
Curran, of Bedford, Ohio, fell ill after dinner and drinks the night he and Janet arrived at the Dreams Resort in Punta Cana. He was sent to the hospital after he began vomiting and became unresponsive.
Then, a family friend traveling with the couple called Brown with a strange demand.
“Your father needs surgery or he’s going to die and they need $50,000 and you need to send it with a copy of your passport, the front and back of your debit card and an authorization stating that you would allow them to withdraw $50,000,” Brown recalled the friend telling her.
The money was paid and Brown sent over the requested paperwork.
But her dad, who was on a ventilator, didn’t make it, the daughter learned while waiting for her flight to the DR.
“He made it through surgery and he died about eight hours later,” Brown said.
Details behind Curran’s death don’t add up, according to his family.
Four causes of death were given — pulmonary edema, cerebral hypoxia, subdural hematoma and severe encephalitic cranial trauma — and the time listed on his death certificate is 11 hours later than when Brown received the heartbreaking call.
“One of them is pulmonary edema, which seems to be common in everyone else who’s passed that we’re learning about,” Brown said.
Curran was cremated but his family plans to have his doctors review the DR medical records. Brown said she’s spoken to the FBI.
“We want to find out what happened and why did he die,” she said.
At least seven Americans have mysteriously died during stays at two resorts in the DR — most of whom after drinking from the minibar in their rooms.
Authorities are now probing whether they were poisoned by bootleg liquor, sources told The Post.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...ists-mystery-death-in-dominican-republic/amp/
"The son of the Staten Island woman who died of an apparent heart attack in the Dominican Republic told The Post early Friday that the country has not done a toxicology report on her — because the country’s toxicology machine’s are broken."
Whaaaaaat?!?!
https://nypost.com/2019/06/14/son-o...l6MwRG9cNJrswOqrtVZKzSjyHUOUszRvAhos8n91oGpk8
Whaaaaaat?!?!
https://nypost.com/2019/06/14/son-o...l6MwRG9cNJrswOqrtVZKzSjyHUOUszRvAhos8n91oGpk8
So many people are pulling out of Dominican Republic trips after mystery deaths
New Yorkers are getting cold feet when it comes to vacationing in the Dominican Republic — in light of a growing number of tourist deaths there, travel agents told The Post Friday.
Several clients — including a couple with a destination wedding booked at a Punta Cana resort — have opted to switch hotels in the DR, but some are moving to different countries altogether, said Gina Libretti-Costa, the president of G World Travel in Maspeth.
“The recent coverage has made a big impact on G World Travel and its clients,” Libretti-Costa said in an email.
She said the soon-to-be newlyweds “chose to switch resorts and venue in fear that guests would be apprehensive to attend.”
Others are following suit.
“I have had several families completely change their plans and opted to move to another island,” Libretti-Costa added. “More recently, a family of 10 opted to make the switch to another Caribbean island.”
Heather Cross, who owns Vacations by Heather, said she received a panicked email Thursday night from a client requesting to change a week-long family trip to an all-inclusive resort over Christmas.
“I think the recent news has them concerned. I literally just got an email from them yesterday, ‘When is my final payment due? Can we reconsider destinations?'” said Cross, whose boutique travel agency is in Carroll Gardens. “I’m guessing they probably won’t go to the DR. I’m guessing they’ll go to another tropical destination.”
Authorities are investigating whether bootleg liquor is to blame in the deaths of at least seven American tourists. At least some of them died after drinking from the minibar in their room.
Resorts in La Romana and Punta Cana were busy with tourists this week — though many told The Post that they were avoiding minibar booze.
Mom Rebeka Jurado, 38, who was staying at the Bahia Principe La Romana with her 14-year-old son for a baseball tournament, said they were having a great time.
“Of course I thought about these tourists and was initially a little worried but everything is good,” she said. “I’m just watching what everyone else is doing and I see them eating and drinking and I’m doing the same. I’m thinking if they’re OK, we will be OK.”
“I wouldn’t drink from the minibar,” she added.
A hotel employee at Bahia Principe La Romana said the hotel was 85 percent booked.
Workers at Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville, where Miranda Schaupp-Werner died May 25, also said they were near capacity.
The lobby of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana, where at least two men have died, was packed at night.
Until there’s concrete answers in the troubling trend, Joanna Stark said she’s advising her corporate clients to steer clear of the DR.
“I would personally tell them to stay away from there until the situation is rectified,” said Stark, who owns Seven Hills Global on the Upper West Side with her husband Jay Palmer. “We don’t want to see anyone get hurt.”
Robert Sinclair, a spokesman for travel agency AAA’s northeast division, said travel to the DR has so far been unaffected. The firm is offering credits, though, to those who want to change their plans.
“We’re telling them to be careful but it looks like these are isolated incidents,” said Sinclair.
He expected tourism there would take a hit in the short term — but noted “anywhere you go on earth you run into a problem.”
“People who come to New York are taking the same chances as going to the DR,” Sinclair said.
Cross said skipping the DR as a travel destination is a personal choice.
“If you’re going to be worried about your safety, then definitely rethink the situation,” she advised. “It’s not going to be a vacation if you’re stressed about your safety.”
https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...ican-republic-trips-after-mystery-deaths/amp/
New Yorkers are getting cold feet when it comes to vacationing in the Dominican Republic — in light of a growing number of tourist deaths there, travel agents told The Post Friday.
Several clients — including a couple with a destination wedding booked at a Punta Cana resort — have opted to switch hotels in the DR, but some are moving to different countries altogether, said Gina Libretti-Costa, the president of G World Travel in Maspeth.
“The recent coverage has made a big impact on G World Travel and its clients,” Libretti-Costa said in an email.
She said the soon-to-be newlyweds “chose to switch resorts and venue in fear that guests would be apprehensive to attend.”
Others are following suit.
“I have had several families completely change their plans and opted to move to another island,” Libretti-Costa added. “More recently, a family of 10 opted to make the switch to another Caribbean island.”
Heather Cross, who owns Vacations by Heather, said she received a panicked email Thursday night from a client requesting to change a week-long family trip to an all-inclusive resort over Christmas.
“I think the recent news has them concerned. I literally just got an email from them yesterday, ‘When is my final payment due? Can we reconsider destinations?'” said Cross, whose boutique travel agency is in Carroll Gardens. “I’m guessing they probably won’t go to the DR. I’m guessing they’ll go to another tropical destination.”
Authorities are investigating whether bootleg liquor is to blame in the deaths of at least seven American tourists. At least some of them died after drinking from the minibar in their room.
Resorts in La Romana and Punta Cana were busy with tourists this week — though many told The Post that they were avoiding minibar booze.
Mom Rebeka Jurado, 38, who was staying at the Bahia Principe La Romana with her 14-year-old son for a baseball tournament, said they were having a great time.
“Of course I thought about these tourists and was initially a little worried but everything is good,” she said. “I’m just watching what everyone else is doing and I see them eating and drinking and I’m doing the same. I’m thinking if they’re OK, we will be OK.”
“I wouldn’t drink from the minibar,” she added.
A hotel employee at Bahia Principe La Romana said the hotel was 85 percent booked.
Workers at Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville, where Miranda Schaupp-Werner died May 25, also said they were near capacity.
The lobby of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana, where at least two men have died, was packed at night.
Until there’s concrete answers in the troubling trend, Joanna Stark said she’s advising her corporate clients to steer clear of the DR.
“I would personally tell them to stay away from there until the situation is rectified,” said Stark, who owns Seven Hills Global on the Upper West Side with her husband Jay Palmer. “We don’t want to see anyone get hurt.”
Robert Sinclair, a spokesman for travel agency AAA’s northeast division, said travel to the DR has so far been unaffected. The firm is offering credits, though, to those who want to change their plans.
“We’re telling them to be careful but it looks like these are isolated incidents,” said Sinclair.
He expected tourism there would take a hit in the short term — but noted “anywhere you go on earth you run into a problem.”
“People who come to New York are taking the same chances as going to the DR,” Sinclair said.
Cross said skipping the DR as a travel destination is a personal choice.
“If you’re going to be worried about your safety, then definitely rethink the situation,” she advised. “It’s not going to be a vacation if you’re stressed about your safety.”
https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...ican-republic-trips-after-mystery-deaths/amp/
Bride recalls disastrous wedding at deadly Dominican resort
A bride spent the morning of her wedding day at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana plying her sickly groom with Gatorade and Imodium after he fell ill at the Dominican Republic resort.
Claudia Massaranduba told The Post that both she and her fiance, Kevin Gentile, were among the swarm of tourists who have suffered vomiting and diarrhea on the Caribbean island — and the couple even had to cut their honeymoon short.
“It was scary,” the Boston-area resident told The Post. “He had a fever, chills and we were more concerned about getting fluids into him than the wedding.”
The Hard Rock in Punta Cana has been scrambling to calm jittery tourists after a rash of illnesses have took place at the resort. Spokespeople at the property — where two tourists have died and hundreds of others have become ill — have insisted to guests that the number of sick people at the hotel has not “hit epidemic levels.”
Massaranduba said her bridesmaid and her 10-year-old nephew were sent to the resort’s clinic and charged hundreds of dollars for the visit in which the doctor did nothing but refer them to the local hospital.
“The doctor was very concerned about how she was going to be paid,” she vented.
“I asked her if she was going to do anything for my husband besides look at him and tell him to go to the hospital?”
Massaranduba added that she’d had no idea at the time that dozens of other guests were getting sick at the hotel that same week.
“People at the hotel were not surprised at all by our experience, which I thought was strange,” she said. “That’s why when I went to the doctor it seemed like a business.”
She disputed the charges with the hotel and eventually got Hard Rock to credit her for the clinic fee before coming down with the illness herself later Monday when she began vomiting and had diarrhea.
The hotel refused, however, to credit her bridesmaid’s clinic fee and the fee for her nephew, claiming that they refused to go to the hospital and they therefore could not “diagnose them.”
Then she learned that other members of her family, including her 75-year-old father-in-law and friends, had become ill as well and had been trying to shield her from their situation.
“Our plan was to spend our honeymoon at the resort and instead we left a day early,” she said. “The hardest part was that a big part of our wedding was having the family together and that got taken away from us. Instead I was stuck in our room with my husband getting sick.”
Tourist are falling ill at other hotels, mostly in the Punta Cana region, but the Hard Rock accounts for a large percentage of the reported illnesses on the island, according to a website that is tracking such reports — iwaspoisoned.com.
Of the 470 reported incidents on the website in June, 254 originated at the Hard Rock as of June 11, according to iwaspoisoned.com
Another 30 incidents were reported by guests staying at Hotel Riu Republica and 29 at the Iberostar Punta Cana and 17 at Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana among others.
Seven tourists have died in the Dominican Republic over the past year and most of the deaths were linked to beverages they had at their hotels.
A spokesperson for the Hard Rock Hotel & Resort Punta Cana did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...trous-wedding-at-deadly-dominican-resort/amp/
A bride spent the morning of her wedding day at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana plying her sickly groom with Gatorade and Imodium after he fell ill at the Dominican Republic resort.
Claudia Massaranduba told The Post that both she and her fiance, Kevin Gentile, were among the swarm of tourists who have suffered vomiting and diarrhea on the Caribbean island — and the couple even had to cut their honeymoon short.
“It was scary,” the Boston-area resident told The Post. “He had a fever, chills and we were more concerned about getting fluids into him than the wedding.”
The Hard Rock in Punta Cana has been scrambling to calm jittery tourists after a rash of illnesses have took place at the resort. Spokespeople at the property — where two tourists have died and hundreds of others have become ill — have insisted to guests that the number of sick people at the hotel has not “hit epidemic levels.”
Massaranduba said her bridesmaid and her 10-year-old nephew were sent to the resort’s clinic and charged hundreds of dollars for the visit in which the doctor did nothing but refer them to the local hospital.
“The doctor was very concerned about how she was going to be paid,” she vented.
“I asked her if she was going to do anything for my husband besides look at him and tell him to go to the hospital?”
Massaranduba added that she’d had no idea at the time that dozens of other guests were getting sick at the hotel that same week.
“People at the hotel were not surprised at all by our experience, which I thought was strange,” she said. “That’s why when I went to the doctor it seemed like a business.”
She disputed the charges with the hotel and eventually got Hard Rock to credit her for the clinic fee before coming down with the illness herself later Monday when she began vomiting and had diarrhea.
The hotel refused, however, to credit her bridesmaid’s clinic fee and the fee for her nephew, claiming that they refused to go to the hospital and they therefore could not “diagnose them.”
Then she learned that other members of her family, including her 75-year-old father-in-law and friends, had become ill as well and had been trying to shield her from their situation.
“Our plan was to spend our honeymoon at the resort and instead we left a day early,” she said. “The hardest part was that a big part of our wedding was having the family together and that got taken away from us. Instead I was stuck in our room with my husband getting sick.”
Tourist are falling ill at other hotels, mostly in the Punta Cana region, but the Hard Rock accounts for a large percentage of the reported illnesses on the island, according to a website that is tracking such reports — iwaspoisoned.com.
Of the 470 reported incidents on the website in June, 254 originated at the Hard Rock as of June 11, according to iwaspoisoned.com
Another 30 incidents were reported by guests staying at Hotel Riu Republica and 29 at the Iberostar Punta Cana and 17 at Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana among others.
Seven tourists have died in the Dominican Republic over the past year and most of the deaths were linked to beverages they had at their hotels.
A spokesperson for the Hard Rock Hotel & Resort Punta Cana did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...trous-wedding-at-deadly-dominican-resort/amp/
Damn son...
Another one.
Place is digging its own shallow grave.
https://apple.news/A3Tx6ZHJ0T76M2cCmz0fUPA
Another American Dies in the Dominican Republic: Leyla Cox, 53, Found Dead in Hotel Room
Robyn Merrett
A son is desperate for answers after his mother mysteriously died while on vacation in the Dominican Republic.
Leyla Cox of Staten Island had traveled to the popular tourist destination on Wednesday, June 5 for her birthday and never returned, SILive.com reported.
Her son William Cox said he last spoke to his mother on June 2, just a few days before she set off.
“I called her on a Sunday and wished her a happy birthday,” William told SILive.com. “I told her I love her.”
The trip was Leyla’s second time visiting the island and as she prepared for her solo adventure, William said he and his family warned her not to go.
“My family wanted her to not go on this vacation,” William explained to SILive.com. “I truly believe if my mother was not in the Dominican Republic, she would have been alive right now.”
“With everything going on in the news right now, we think she’s a casualty of what’s been happening,” he said.
Leyla was found dead at 53 in her hotel room and according to William, the U.S. Embassy officials explained her death had been ruled as a heart attack, SILive.com reported.
“I am overwhelmed and confused and in shock,” William told the outlet. “Her birthday was on June 9 and she passed away on June 10.”
Another one.
Place is digging its own shallow grave.
https://apple.news/A3Tx6ZHJ0T76M2cCmz0fUPA
Another American Dies in the Dominican Republic: Leyla Cox, 53, Found Dead in Hotel Room
Robyn Merrett
A son is desperate for answers after his mother mysteriously died while on vacation in the Dominican Republic.
Leyla Cox of Staten Island had traveled to the popular tourist destination on Wednesday, June 5 for her birthday and never returned, SILive.com reported.
Her son William Cox said he last spoke to his mother on June 2, just a few days before she set off.
“I called her on a Sunday and wished her a happy birthday,” William told SILive.com. “I told her I love her.”
The trip was Leyla’s second time visiting the island and as she prepared for her solo adventure, William said he and his family warned her not to go.
“My family wanted her to not go on this vacation,” William explained to SILive.com. “I truly believe if my mother was not in the Dominican Republic, she would have been alive right now.”
“With everything going on in the news right now, we think she’s a casualty of what’s been happening,” he said.
Leyla was found dead at 53 in her hotel room and according to William, the U.S. Embassy officials explained her death had been ruled as a heart attack, SILive.com reported.
“I am overwhelmed and confused and in shock,” William told the outlet. “Her birthday was on June 9 and she passed away on June 10.”
hno:.
