Did Carbon Monoxide Kill Three More Vacationers?

Carbon Monoxide Kills too Many Vacations

Did carbon monoxide kill during another vacation? Three American women die at Belize resort with similar pattern of findings to CO incidents.

By Rebecca Martin

“What makes poison so dangerous is the riddle of its onset, the disguise of its effect.”

-Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: The Lethality of a Missing Oxygen Atom

When three young American women checked into a San Pedro Town, Belize resort, undoubtedly, they were focused on an enjoyable vacation full of adventure and fun. They did not expect to make headlines when their three lifeless bodies were discovered by resort staff on Friday, February 21. Did carbon monoxide kill three more?

Did carbon monoxide kill three American women at Belize resort with similar pattern of findings to other resort CO incidents.

The three women, 23-year-old Kaoutar Naqqad, 24-year-old Imane Mallah and 26-year-old Wafae El-Arar, were citizens of the U.S. and residents of Massachusetts. The women were seen on surveillance footage on Thursday night entering their room. When resort staff had not been able to contact them by Saturday morning, they used a master key to access the room and discovered the bodies of the three women. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/american-women-found-dead-hotel-belize/

First responders noted that the women presented with yellow foam at their mouths, suggesting a possible drug overdose. Alcohol and gummies were found at the scene. The Commissioner of Police noted that each of the women had apparently vomited before their deaths and that investigators were testing for the presence of carbon monoxide.  Carbon monoxide poisoning or a gas leak has not been ruled out. The women were determined to have been dead for some 20 hours prior to discovery which would have placed their time of death as sometime Friday morning and not on Thursday night. Immediate resolution as to the cause of their deaths was further exacerbated by a standing travel advisory for Belize due to the prevalence of violent crime in the area.

What is known, is that a vacation adventure became a vacation mystery overnight, leaving the victims’ families in shock. The cause of their deaths will likely be determined by autopsy. And if the families follow the guidance of other families faced with dealing with international deaths, they will insist on a forensic autopsy being performed back in the United States.

International Resorts Where Carbon Monoxide Killed

Sandals Emerald Bay CO Poisoning

Unfortunately, this is not the first case of mysterious deaths of American citizens at an International Resort in which the causes were shrouded in local bureaucracy.  In 2022, three Americans were found dead and one person hospitalized at the Sandals Emerald Bay resort in Great Exuma, Bahamas. The four had sought medical treatment the night before they were discovered unconscious and been sent back to the resort without a definitive diagnosis. Upon the discovery of their bodies, it was widely opined by local officials that the cause of death was linked to the use of a pesticide in the vicinity of their rooms. It was only much later that it was determined that the culprit was carbon monoxide poisoning. Click here for our blog on this carbon monoxide poisoning.

While authorities concluded the cause of the deaths “was an isolated incident in one standalone structure that housed two individual guest rooms and was in no way linked to the resort’s air conditioning system, food and beverage service, landscaping services or foul play.”  – Nearly a month later, investigators said that autopsy and toxicology reports show they died from carbon monoxide poisoning.  https://www.wate.com/news/local-news/sandals-bahamas-resort-making-changes-after-deaths-of-three-tourists/

The resort placed CO detectors in all guest rooms because of the findings and partnered with environmental experts to examine the systems in place at the resort.

Hotel Rancho Pescadero CO Poisoning

In 2023, two American citizens were discovered deceased in their room at the Hotel Rancho Pescadero in El Pescadero, Mexico.  First responders to the scene reported that their first impressions at the scene were that the deceased couple had succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning. However, a gas leak had been ruled out immediately at the scene.  This conclusion was highly at odds with reports from the hotel staff complaining that they had reported suspicions of a gas leak to managers for months prior to the incident and that they had been advised to disable alarms so as not to disturb the guests. In addition, two of the first responders at the scene, also fell ill and had to be hospitalized. Although the deaths were ruled to have been caused by “intoxication by a substance to be determined”, family members of the victims say that improper venting at the resort was rumored to be the cause. https://www.marlerblog.com/case-news/couple-dies-of-carbon-monoxide-poisoning-at-mexican-luxury-hotel/

The LA Times reported that “Gas leaks from faulty lines are common across Mexico and have been linked to multiple tourist deaths in recent years.”  They noted that the original reports by local police had stated that a gas leak was most likely at fault. Workers at the resort organized to protest that managers were ignoring safety concerns which had been an ongoing issue.  The hotel was shut down and sold. Click here for our blog on this poisoning.

Air BNBs CO Deaths

If vacationing at a large resort franchise holds the potential to place one in a carbon monoxide poisoning mystery on the front pages, it is just as, or more likely that checking into one of the millions of Air BNBs scattered across the globe can pose the same risk. At least 19 carbon monoxide deaths have been identified as occurring at AIR BNBs. An NBC investigative report found that the deaths occurred internationally because many countries do not have the same residential requirements as the United States.

Although Air BNB has made commitments to guarantee properties have a carbon monoxide detector in place and even offer free detectors to their participants, these measures have been taken after the fact and are in no way a guarantee that a working carbon monoxide detector with appropriate instructions is in place in all locations. According to NBC, searches for units with carbon monoxide can be added to the search filters when choosing an Air BNB, placing a burden upon the consumer to be astute enough to filter for safety concerns in an industry that guarantees safety. Air BNB does not require carbon monoxide detectors in all its units and suggests that if units have fuel-burning appliances, that a carbon monoxide detector should be present.

Rio de Janeiro

In 2022, Sebastian Mejia, a promising 24-year-old scholarship student was found deceased in his shower at an Air BnB.  An American citizen, in Rio de Janeiro working on his studies on Latin American indigenous people, he fell victim to an improperly installed and vented hot water heater. There was no carbon monoxide detector installed in his Air BNB.

Although Air BNB contends that the risk of death is very low globally, there is a great lack of accurate statistics about carbon monoxide injuries, internationally and domestically.

Carbon Monoxide Kills at Independent Lodgings

In the United States there has been an upswing in the move of the disenchanted or retired to take on the romantic notion of running their own lodging. This hands on, DIY, often inexperienced group share the same issues with inexperienced hotel managers. Often cosmetic refurbishment is the primary goal, and an understanding of the machinery is placed on the “for someone else to worry about” list.

Stonegate Lodge

Five patients were transported by helicopter and a total of 24 patients were treated for carbon monoxide exposure after a poisoning event at the Stonegate Lodge in Eureka Springs. One patient was in critical condition and had to be re-evacuated to another facility.

Even though there were multiple complaints, Gary Inman, assistant chief for Eureka Fire & EMS, denied that carbon monoxide was the cause of the incident and at the time, stated “That option is being investigated” and that they were looking at other issues that might have caused the evacuation of 24 guests.  https://www.eurekaspringstimesecho.net/2022/07/21/five-who-fell-ill-at-local-hotel-are-transported-by-helicopter/

First responders to the scene had reported high concentrations of carbon monoxide at the scene. The gas meter had been turned off so repairs could be made. https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2022/jul/21/19-become-ill-from-apparent-carbon-monoxide-in/

The owner said they had only owned the property for three weeks at the time of the incident and did not have all the inspection reports back yet.

Conclusion

Wherever you choose to lodge this vacation, the most essential item on your packing list should be a personal carbon monoxide detector designed for travel.  Whether you are checking into a recognized franchise resort, an Air BNB or independent lodging, it is the one piece of safety equipment which will immediately solve the mystery of whether carbon monoxide is present.