photo credit: yu-jas // Shutterstock

Another woman has died while visiting the Dominican Republic on vacation. Layla Cox, 53, becomes the 8th U.S. citizen to die while visiting the country on vacation. She was found on June 10th in her hotel room. According to the hotel, Cox had not been feeling well and had been taken to the hospital. Heart attack has been given as her cause of death. Majority of these deaths have been ruled “heart attack.”

Authorities are now investigating fake alcohol to determine if the 8 tourist were poisoned. The FBI is reportedly taking blood samples from the victims. They are also working to figure out where the alcohol came from, and if the bottles have any harmful chemicals in them. There have also been various cases of people becoming ill after drinking from the minibars, but have survived.

Officials in the D.R. have called the deaths isolated events.

“In the last five years, over 30 million tourists have visited the Dominican Republic, but this is the first time the international media report such an alarming situation,” Tourism Minister Francisco Javier Garcia said earlier this month. “These are isolated incidents and the Dominican Republic is a safe destination.”

The US Department of State has not issued a travel warning and American officials have not said the deaths were connected.

In May, a Maryland couple was found dead in their hotel room at the Bahia Principe La Romana. The couple had internal bleeding, including in their pancreases, Dominican authorities said. Holmes had an enlarged heart and cirrhosis of the liver, both signs of significant pre-existing disease, the Dominican authorities said, and Day also had fluid in her brain.

In the same resort, Miranda Schaup-Werner collapsed and died after having a drink from the minibar. She suddenly felt ill. Schaup-Werner suffered from a heart attack, pulmonary edema and respiratory failure.

Barbara Corcoran, “Shark Tank” TV star said her brother died in his hotel room in the Dominican Republic in late April. John Corcoran “passed away from what is believed to be natural causes,” she said in a statement. He was staying at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana.

David Harrison, 45, died at the same hotel, heart attacked being listed as his cause of death.

Written by Clarke Jones

Source: The Shaderoom