The families of three American tourists who died while vacationing in luxury The Sandals Emerald Bay resort in the Bahamas has asked investigators to allow U.S. pathologists to re-autopsy.
Michael and Robbie Phillips, 68 and 65 years old from Tennessee, and Vincent Chiarella, 64 years old from Florida, were found dead on May 6 in nearby villas at a resort on Big Exuma Island. The trio did not ride together.
Vincent Donis ’65-year-old wife is said to be in good condition and recovering well at a hospital in Miami.
The frustration grew as relatives seemed to remain in the dark as to what might have caused their untimely death.
“Information on toxicology is still unfinished. There were requests from family members of the deceased to bring a pathologist from abroad for a re-autopsy, “Bahamas Health and Welfare Minister Michael Darville told Eyewitness News Bahamas.
A second autopsy will be conducted by an American pathologist who will examine the deaths of three Americans at a luxury resort in the Bahamas.
Michael and Robbie Phillips, 68 and 65 from Tennessee, died at the resort earlier in May
The families of three American tourists who died while vacationing at the luxury resort of Sandals Emerald Bay in the Bahamas have asked investigators to allow U.S. pathologists to re-autopsy. Pictured are Michael and Robbie Phillips
The government has agreed to come to the islands of another pathologist to help with the case, and Darville wants to “get to the bottom of the investigation.”
– The Sandal resort is still under investigation. We also have pathologists in the country who have done their job and the samples have been sent to a very reliable laboratory in the United States, ”Darville explained.
As of Wednesday, it remains unclear how three tourists died at the hotel.
The website reports that the government will facilitate this request, as Darville wants to “get to the heart of the investigation.”
“You know, to move bodies on water, they need to be embalmed, and that’s why such a request was made.
“I don’t know exactly how far it has gone, but we are ready to help anyone who wants to sort out their loved ones [death]. And so these requests are being met. I’m not sure where they are at the moment. “
Bahamas Police Commissioner Paul Roll is arranging interviews with people in the United States who claim to have information that could help unravel the mystery.
The resort has not given any further comment on the deaths of its guests than was announced earlier this month.
“For Sandals Resorts, there is nothing more important than the safety of our guests,” and “With deep sadness we can confirm the death of three guests at Sandals Emerald Bay on May 6, 2022,” the resort said in a statement.
Michael Phillips, 68, is gone, and his wife Robbie Phillips, 65, from Tennessee, died earlier this month. In the photo they are on another vacation in September
Vincent Chiarella is depicted with his wife Donis in Sandals in the Bahamas a few days before he died and she remained seriously ill. Her condition is now improving at a hospital in Miami
Last week, guests complained about the “strong smell” of the insecticide in the area. Meanwhile, police are investigating whether food could have played a role in the death.
“They were all treated at different times and they ate in different places, so … we’re checking it all out and we hope to be able to determine if it was food or something else that caused it,” Paul Rolle explained.
Samples of all three victims have been delivered to a laboratory in Philadelphia and will make a toxicological report, the results of which have not yet been published.
Several recent columnists on TripAdvisor reported seeing bugs in their rooms, and one guest suggested that air conditioning problems could have caused freon poisoning.
All three reportedly sought medical attention while in Sandals, according to the Nassau Guardian.
A Sandals spokesman did not comment on the possibility of food poisoning and referred to DailyMail.com to an earlier statement.
The day before her death Robbie posted photos of the beach on her Facebook when apparently trying to sell others the idea of a resort.
Reviews on TripAdvisor suggest that the resort has recently come into disrepair.
Michael T. wrote a review on May 8, days after the incident, and said he booked a trip to the resort after enjoying it last year.
However, the second trip was markedly different.
“We felt the resort was neglected and dramatically understaffed,” Michael wrote. “Air conditioning, plumbing, no towels, staff who were new and poorly trained, and staff who seemed to have reworked. Tragically had to survive the death of three guests and the injury of the fourth. In these circumstances, it was, to put it mildly, very difficult to relax. “
He added that he “doesn’t see himself anytime soon” at the resort.
Reviewer Cameron H. referred to the tragedy and noted that “the resort has done nothing to comfort its guests and even make them understand that they are safe.”
They also said the resort needed a major overhaul and called the food “horrible”.
Gabriel K. referred to problems with the thermostat, poor maintenance and the inability to close the door due to congestion.
Other reviewers said they found “vomiting” in the bathrooms when they were served “powdered eggs and bacon on a cruise ship.”
Reviewers said they found “vomiting” in the bathrooms when they were served “powdered eggs and bacon on a cruise ship.”
TripAdvisor customers have also complained that the resort is in a “state of emergency”
Some even found bugs in their rooms in Sandals Emerald Bay
It is said that all American victims suffered from seizures before death, and when Donis Chiarella of Panama, Florida, woke up, she was paralyzed and her late husband is not moving, previously told ABC News devastated son of the couple Austin Chiarella.
“She woke up and my dad was lying on the floor and she couldn’t move,” he said. “Her legs and arms were swollen, she couldn’t move and she was screaming for someone to come in the door.”
The injured son said his mother first fell ill the day before and visited a local clinic. Shortly afterwards, she was discharged and she believed her health had improved.
The initial investigation also revealed that Phillips “complained of the disease the night before,” as police said earlier, adding that the couple “visited a local medical facility ”where they were treated and then returned to their homes.
Another American vacationer had previously blamed his death on a faulty air conditioner.
In a Facebook post, Chris Coucheron-Aamot wrote that: “Three neighbors in the building next to us were killed and a fourth was taken by air in critical condition.
The letter, which appears to have been written by partner Coucheron-Aamot, describes the crime scene at the resort’s luxury beach villas, where the bodies of guests were found by hotel staff.
He added: “Around our unit was a crime scene tape and security,” – said in a statement Coucheron-Aamot, who lived in the same villas as the injured guests.
In a statement, Coucheron-Aamot – who said he was on holiday at the resort despite his death – suggested there may have been problems with some of the villa’s air conditioning systems that could have led to his death.
“It looks like it may have been a malfunction of the air conditioner in the unit that caused the toxic coolant to leak,” the report said.
“It was hard to sleep last night – every time I turned on the air conditioner, I woke up.
“We continue our vacation because that’s what I would like people to do if I were the one who died – celebrate my life by living your life to the fullest. However, our hearts are with those who grieve. May God have mercy on them and on us. ”
