After reviewing the toxicology results of three American tourists who died earlier this year while vacationing in the Dominican Republic, the FBI has confirmed that they died of natural causes.
Related: Black Couple From Maryland Found Dead In Dominican Republic
Maryland couple, Edward Nathaniel Holmes and Cynthia Ann Day, made headlines when they were found dead in their hotel room at the Grand Bahia Principe La Romana Resort in San Pedro de Macoris on May 30. Shortly after the news of their death broke, it was revealed that 41-year-old Miranda Schaupp-Werner of Pennsylvania, had been found dead at the Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville hotel just a few days prior. Their deaths were just the first of 11 tourist deaths that were reported in that short period. The unexplained deaths caused a worldwide panic, with foreign water and alcohol being blamed as possible causes.
Initially, it was reported that Holmes, 63, and Day, 49, died of respiratory failure and pulmonary edema, a buildup of fluid in the lungs. The recent results are consistent with those findings.
However, Steven Bullock, a spokesperson for Holmes’ and Day’s families, says that the families have not received any updates regarding their loved ones’ deaths.
“The Day and Holmes families have not been provided with any information from the FBI or the Dominican Republic Authorities regarding the deaths,” Bullock said in a statement. “The only information that has been received by the families is what is being reported in the media. Our investigation is continuing, and we will not have any further comment until we receive the results of our investigation. Thank you.”
Related: Beyond the Headlines: Why The Dominican Republic Still Deserves Your Visit
Coincidentally, Miranda Schaup-Werner also died of respiratory failure and pulmonary edema, the same as Holmes and Day.
According to a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, of the 2.7 million U.S. citizens visit the Dominican Republic each year, the majority travel without incident and there was not an “uptick” in fatal incidents this year.
