What was supposed to be a dream turned into a nightmare. Nestled alongside the idyllic waters of the Caribbean, Sandals Emerald Bay is a luxury resort on the exotic islands of the Bahamas.
It’s a place where elegant villas and suites harmonize with nature, sitting in a secluded area on 500 tropical acres along a mile-long pristine beach.
This popular honeymoon spot recently became the site of a horrific tragedy; three American tourists were found dead in their rooms.
Authorities have now identified the dead and say they’re making progress on finding out what happened.
Victims Identified
Three individuals were found dead at Sandals Emerald Bay on May 6.
Three days later, on May 9, they were identified as two American men and an American woman. A fourth person was also taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Authorities in the Bahamas identified the three American tourists as Michael Phillips, 68, and Robbie Phillips, 65, of Tennessee. The third victim is Vincent Paul Ciarella, 64, of Florida, who was found unconscious in a separate room.
Donis Ciarella, Vincent’s wife, was taken by helicopter to a hospital in the capital of the Bahamas before being rushed to emergency medical attention in Miami, Florida.
So what happened that led to their deaths at one of the best resorts in the Bahamas? That’s still unclear.
The Commissioner of the Royal Bahamas Police Force revealed blood samples have been collected from all victims and will be sent to a laboratory in the US for toxicology testing.
He also said autopsy results are still pending.
Sandals Bahamas deaths: Hotel guests complained of insecticide odor where Americans found dead: report https://t.co/196DC89hPf #FoxNews
— Bo Snerdley (@BoSnerdley) May 10, 2022
A Mysterious Tragedy
Sandals Emerald Bay was the choice of American couple Sydney Rosenquist and Chasen Toth, who were visiting this place as part of their wedding celebration.
Focused on celebrating the best time of their lives together, Rosenquist conveyed the two did not know about the mournful demises before going to the island.
They were only cognizant of the tragedy that occurred once they were already staying at the resort. Toth’s father sent a link about the deaths of three American tourists. So what was supposed to be a dream turned out to be a nightmare!
Guests at the hotel did say prior to the discovery of the three dead Americans, they smelled a strong smell of insecticide used to kill bugs.
This could be related to the cause of death, as it’s possible strong and toxic bug spray can sometimes harm humans.
U.S. TOURISTS DIE AT RESORT: An urgent investigation is underway after three American tourists were found dead at the Sandals Emerald Bay on the Bahamas' Great Exuma island. @ReeveWill has more. https://t.co/q2eOqvm69t pic.twitter.com/Y9Jqnk26Dk
— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) May 10, 2022
The Bottom Line
Great Exumas Island in the Bahamas and the Emerald Bay resort is supposed to be an idyllic paradise.
Tragically, it turned out to be just the opposite for these Americans. Let’s pray for their families and everyone who knew them.
We will be following this story as it developed and once autopsies are done in order to determine what led to their deaths.
