US Tourist Deaths at Punta Cana Hard Rock Casino as Suspicious Dominican Republic Fatalities Grow
Posted on: June 10, 2019, 08:14h.
Last updated on: June 14, 2019, 09:14h.
A spate of mysterious deaths of US citizens in tourist resorts in the Dominican Republic has prompted speculation that a serial poisoner may be running amok on the Caribbean Island.
The death of California man Robert Bell Wallace in April at the Punta Cana Hard Rock Hotel & Casino resort, first reported on Sunday by Fox News, brings the number of suspicious deaths of Americans on the island to at least six in just over a year.
Days earlier, Maryland widow Dawn McCoy went public over her concerns about the death of her husband, David Harrison, one year ago at the same resort.
Both Wallace and Harrison had been healthy and had died under similar sudden circumstances, according to relatives.
Wallace’s niece, Chloe Arnold, told Fox News that her uncle became ill almost immediately after drinking a Scotch from the minibar. He was examined by a resort doctor, who decided he needed to be hospitalized immediately. He died a day later.
Dominican authorities have not yet told the family the cause of his death, Arnold said.
The resort is a franchised property within the Hard Rock International portfolio — a company owned the Seminole Native American tribe of Florida. Hard Rock Punta Cana did not respond to Fox News’ request for comment on the two deaths.
Coincidence or Foul Play?
Meanwhile, two other tourists have died after taking a drink from their minibars at a different resort, the Bahia Principe La Romana, also in Punta Cana.
Miranda Schaup-Werner a Pennsylvania woman was struck with “acute physical distress after drinking” and died the same day, May 25. An autopsy report released by the Dominican Republic’s Attorney General listed “heart attacks in the left ventricular wall, pulmonary edema and respiratory failure.” The contents of her glass were not analysed, however.
Relatives of 51-year-old Yvette Monique Sport, also of Pennsylvania, said Sport died in June 2018 after drinking one drink from the minibar. She went to bed shortly afterwards and never woke up, the family said.
An autopsy report listed the cause of death as a heart attack, but a toxicology report – having been promised to the family – has never been produced.
On May 30 this year, Nathaniel Holmes, 63, and his fiancée Cynthia Day, 50, were both found dead in their room, just days after Schaup-Werner. The cause of couples’ death, in both cases, was a pulmonary edema, authorities said.
FBI Called In
The US Department of State confirmed last month it was investigating but has said it is “not aware” of any connection between the deaths. But on Friday, Fox News learned that the FBI had joined the investigation, an indication that the possibility is at least being considered they are not the result of natural causes as listed on the autopsy reports.
Americans comprise just over half of the six million tourists who visit the Dominican Republic each year. With such a vast number of visitors, it’s possible the deaths are nothing more than a striking coincidence, but this is not an explanation relatives are willing to accept just yet as the clamor for answers grows louder.
One theory suggests the solution to the mystery may be environmental and the fatalities could be related to the use of dangerous pesticides, for example.
The Dominican authorities continue to insist the country is safe to visit, but the US State Department urges visitors to exercise caution due to high crime rates, citing “the availability of weapons, the use and trade of illicit drugs, and a weak criminal justice system.”
On Monday, it was reported that former Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz was recovering from surgery after being shot through the stomach Sunday at a nightclub in Santo Domingo, the island’s capital.
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Last Comments ( 4 )
We traveled to Hard Rock Casino Punta Cana May ( Memorial Day Week) in 2017.I woke up the morning after traveling there with upper respiratory infection,was so sick & feverish! My boyfriend went to pharmacy & got me Cipro antibiotics,cough syrup,Tylenol! Was very sick the whole week.Sure made me wonder when I started hearing all these people dying or the couple honeymooning! Now boyfriend wants to go back,because we couldn't get reservations @ 3 other resorts in Cancun in Jan. Or Feb. @ Hard Rock timeshare he has.Iwas reminded today of all the Deaths in Dominican Republic,boyfriend says this should be very safe now after all the deaths & investigations!
My friend Iris Morales of Hartford CT. Died at the Hard Rock casino of a heart attack on November 3rd 2019. She was a very healthy person. I believe all these death are connected.
I get sick almost every time I travel, lol. I tend to forget to not drink the water! It is true that the micro organisms in water vary from country to country and our bodies do not always adapt. And too, planes are like incubators! My mother just passed earlier this year having gotten pneomonia from traveling that weakened her immune system.... But the fact is that we cannot enjoy life and still "play it safe" as every turn. Are we tempting fate by traveling? Should we stop sending our kids to school? Never go to church again? Never attend a concert? Just some food for thought!
It’s so eerie reading these stories now knowing that my husband and I honeymooned in Punta Cana in June 2017 and he came down with almost the same symptoms as some mentioned of those that passed. After day 2 he fell so ill with respiratory distress, fluid in his lungs and head, hot sweats, extremely high fever, and felt like he was literally on his death bed. We tried to leave for the US on day 3 but was unsuccessful so he remained bedridden for the remainder of our trip. After being warned by the doctor at our hotel (Secrets) of the risks flying with so much fluid in his ears, he didn’t care and insisted we get home. He remained sick for about 3 more weeks, with multiple dr visits and several courses of antibiotic therapy that did not improve his condition. I’m so thankful God protected him and that it was not his time to go but feel so bad for those who were not as fortunate as us. The point in me sharing our similar story is that hopefully if authorities read it, they may realize the threat or risk started earlier than the 2018 reported deaths and maybe our case could help link to those in the beginning that may have been lucky enough like us to make it home but in no way enjoyed their trip.