UPDATED 5/9, 3:15 p.m.: The deceased individuals have been identified, NBC News reports. Michael Phillips, 68, and his wife Robbie, 65, were from Tennessee. Vincent Paul Chiarella was 64 and hailed from Florida; his family had confirmed his death already. The person airlifted to the hospital was Chiarella’s spouse, 65-year-old Donnis.
Officials have thus far been unable to determine the cause of Phillips’ and Chiarella’s deaths. A Philadelphia lab is lending its expertise to analyze toxicology results.
“Once those samples are done, our pathologist will be able to provide an official report as to an exact cause of death and determine exactly what has happened,” said Royal Bahamas Police Commissioner Paul Rolle, who added authorities “really want to know what caused this without speculation.”
See original story below.
Two American men and one woman were found dead at the popular Sandals Emerald Bay resort in the Bahamas on Friday, and another was airlifted to a local hospital, People reports.
The four tourists were found at the Exuma resort and the causes of death for the three fatalities are currently unknown.
“A health emergency was initially reported and following our protocols we immediately alerted emergency medical professionals and relevant local authorities,” a Sandals rep told the magazine in a statement. “We are actively working to support both the investigation as well as the guests’ families in every way possible during this difficult time.”
In its own statement, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said it is investigating the “sudden death of two males and a female” and that the three bodies were discovered in two separate villas. At the first villa, authorities found a white man laying on a bedroom floor, with “no signs of trauma found.”
At the second villa, police found a white man “slumped against the wall in a bathroom unresponsive” and a white woman “in a bedroom on a bed.” The couple found in the second villa had reportedly “complained of illness” the night before, and sought treatment.
“She too was unresponsive. Both individuals showed signs of convulsion,” the police release reads. “The officers examined the bodies and found no signs of trauma. The local doctor later pronounced both persons dead.”
The Bahamas’ Acting Prime Minister, Hon. Chester Cooper, shared on Twitter Friday that a fourth woman had been hospitalized at Princess Margaret Hospital.
“Police are investigating and the cause of death is still unknown,” Cooper wrote. “However, I am advised that foul play is not suspected. I have asked the Minister of Health and Wellness Dr. Michael Darville to lead a delegation this evening to Exuma of health & wellness, environment and public works officials.”
