Mason Delacroix
Between June 2018 and 2021, a string of mysterious tourist deaths in the Dominican Republic sparked global attention. Over ten U.S. tourists died either during their visit or after returning home, with many experiencing symptoms such as fluid in the lungs, heart attacks, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. While the cause of these deaths remains under investigation, one widely reported theory links them to counterfeit alcohol or bootleg liquor, with nine out of ten deceased Americans displaying symptoms associated with methanol poisoning.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Deaths | 10 |
| Possible Cause | Counterfeit/tainted alcohol |
| Symptoms | Fluid in the lungs, heart attack, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, blindness |
| Locations | Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo, Monseñor Nouel, Santiago, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, La Romana |
| Demographics | More than 300 of those sick were males aged from 7 to 82 years old |
| Source of Alcohol | Hotel minibars, illegal alcoholic beverages like clerén |
| Investigations | FBI, CDC, Dominican authorities |
| Preventative Measures | Removal of liquor dispensers from hotel rooms, increased food and drink inspections |
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Respiratory failure
Although there is no evidence linking counterfeit alcohol to the deaths in the Dominican Republic, it remains a widely reported theory. In 2019, at least 10 tourists died while visiting or after returning from the Dominican Republic, with many experiencing fluid in their lungs at the time of death.
Heart or circulatory conditions and diseases can also lead to respiratory failure, including heart attack, congenital heart disease, heart failure, and shock. Conditions that affect the nerves and muscles involved in breathing, such as muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), severe scoliosis, and Guillain-Barré syndrome, can also contribute to respiratory failure.
Other causes include chest, spinal cord, or brain injuries, smoking or exposure to lung irritants, surgery requiring sedation or anesthesia, drug use, excessive alcohol consumption, and age. Newborn babies and adults over 65 are at higher risk for respiratory failure.
Symptoms of respiratory failure include shortness of breath or feeling like you cannot get enough air (dyspnea), rapid breathing (tachypnea), extreme tiredness (fatigue), a fast heart rate or heart palpitations, spitting or coughing blood or bloody mucus (hemoptysis), excessive sweating, restlessness, bluish skin, lips, or nails (cyanosis), blurred vision, agitation, confusion, or behavioral changes.
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Poisoning symptoms
- Fluid in the lungs, or pulmonary edema, was observed in several cases. This can lead to respiratory failure and was a cause of death for some individuals.
- Heart attacks were also reported as a cause of death for a few tourists.
- Blood in the urine was observed in at least one case, as well as incoherency.
- Some individuals reported experiencing dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and blindness after consuming alcoholic beverages.
- In addition, there have been reports of a powerful chemical odor in hotel rooms, accompanied by symptoms such as stomach cramps, nausea, uncontrollable drooling, and burning in the nose and throat.
It is important to note that poisoning symptoms can vary depending on individual factors, the amount of poison ingested, and the time lapsed since ingestion. Some symptoms may appear immediately, while others may take time to develop. In any case of suspected poisoning, it is crucial to seek immediate medical attention.
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Toxic chemicals
While the presence of toxic chemicals in alcoholic drinks has been suspected in the mysterious deaths of American tourists in the Dominican Republic, toxicology reports have not yet confirmed this. The FBI is assisting with toxicology analysis in some of the death cases.
In 2019, at least 10 US tourists died after falling ill at Dominican Republic resorts, with dozens more getting sick. Three of the victims—Miranda Schaup-Werner, Robert Wallace, and Monique Sport—had a drink from their hotel minibar before falling ill. This led to suspicions that tainted alcohol could be responsible for the deaths. However, preliminary autopsy results released by Dominican authorities ruled out methanol poisoning from tainted alcohol as the cause of death for some of the victims.
In 2024, it was reported that nine out of 10 Americans who died during their trips to the Dominican Republic in the previous year showed symptoms commonly associated with methanol poisoning. Loved ones of the victims stated that at least four of them had consumed alcoholic beverages at resorts in Punta Cana, Santo Domingo, and La Romana shortly before their deaths.
In addition to the tourist deaths, there have been reports of other tourists falling ill at resorts in the Dominican Republic. Some reported smelling a powerful chemical odor in their hotel rooms and suffering from symptoms such as stomach cramps, nausea, uncontrollable drooling, and burning of the nose and throat. Others reported getting sick after consuming alcoholic beverages, with symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, blindness, and even death.
While the presence of toxic chemicals in alcoholic drinks has not been confirmed as the cause of the tourist deaths, the Dominican Republic has taken steps to enhance safety regulations and enforce food and drink inspections to protect tourists.
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Fluid in the lungs
In 2019, a Louisiana woman named Susan Simoneaux died a week after returning from her honeymoon in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Simoneaux was reported to have had fluid in her lungs at the time of her death. While the cause of the fluid in her lungs was not confirmed, it could have been due to several factors, including pulmonary edema or pleural effusion.
Pulmonary edema is a condition where fluid builds up in the lungs, making it difficult to breathe. This is usually caused by a pressure imbalance within the heart, but it can also be caused by other factors such as pneumonia, contact with certain toxins, medications, trauma to the chest wall, or exercising at high elevations. The symptoms of pulmonary edema include difficulty breathing or extreme shortness of breath that worsens with activity or when lying down, a feeling of suffocating or drowning, and a cough that may produce frothy or bloody sputum. If left untreated, pulmonary edema can be life-threatening and requires immediate medical attention.
Pleural effusion refers to fluid collecting inside the lung. It is often caused by heart failure, pneumonia, or cancer. Symptoms of pleural effusion include shortness of breath, a cough, and chest pain. Treatment for pleural effusion involves removing the fluid through procedures such as pleural aspiration or pleurodesis, which seals the space between the tissues covering the lungs to prevent fluid buildup.
It is important to note that fluid in the lungs can be a serious medical condition that requires prompt medical attention and treatment. While the specific cause of Simoneaux's death was not confirmed, the presence of fluid in her lungs may have contributed to her death.
To prevent fluid in the lungs, it is advisable to maintain good heart health, manage any existing medical conditions, and avoid risk factors such as high-altitude travel or exertion, exposure to toxins, and certain medications that can contribute to fluid buildup.
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Heart attack
While there is no evidence that the tourist deaths in the Dominican Republic were linked to alcohol, one of the deceased tourists, Miranda Schaup-Werner, did die of a heart attack. Although alcohol cannot directly cause a heart attack, excessive alcohol use can increase a person's risk of experiencing one. Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is a type of heart disease that can develop due to drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. This disease enlarges and distorts the heart, weakening the muscle and preventing it from pumping blood efficiently. Heavy drinking can also cause high blood pressure, which is a risk factor for heart attacks.
High triglyceride levels, in combination with either excess low-density lipoprotein cholesterol or insufficient high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, can lead to fatty buildups in the artery walls, increasing the risk of heart attack. While moderate drinking may slightly raise levels of "good" HDL cholesterol, heavy drinking can negatively impact the heart. For example, a study of British men found that while heavy drinkers did not show a high incidence rate of fatal heart attacks, they did show the highest incidence rate of sudden cardiac death.
In addition to alcoholic cardiomyopathy and high blood pressure, heavy drinking can also cause arrhythmias, which is when a person's heart beats too fast, too slowly, or irregularly. People with heart disease or risk factors should stop drinking or limit their alcohol intake to reduce their risk of a heart attack. Doctors may advise individuals with heart conditions to abstain from drinking or suggest how much alcohol they can drink safely.
Following a heart attack, it is important to make lifestyle changes, such as limiting alcohol intake or cutting it out altogether, to lower the risk of another heart attack and live a healthy life. While moderate drinking may not be harmful to the heart for most people, heavy drinking is linked to a number of poor health outcomes, including heart conditions.
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Frequently asked questions
Symptoms of methanol poisoning include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, blindness, low blood pressure, coma, seizures, and even death.
As of April 2020, there have been 227 deaths from alcohol poisoning in the Dominican Republic, with more than 300 of those sick being males aged 7 to 82 years old.
One theory is that the alcohol was counterfeit or bootleg liquor. Another theory is that the alcohol was tainted with toxic chemicals such as methanol.
