By NAN STAFF WRITER
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. May 9, 2022: Royal Bahamas Police Force Commissioner Paul Rolle earlier today said the three Americans who died at the Sandals Emerald Bay resort on the island of Exuma on Friday, May 6th, were all sexagenarians.
Rolle named the deceased during a press conference as Robbie Phillips, 65, and Michael Phillips, 68, both from Tennessee, and Vincent Chiarella, 64, from Florida.
The three were found dead in two separate villas at the resort on Friday, May 6, 2022, just hours after separately seeking medical treatment because they were feeling unwell.
Rolle said Chiarella’s wife, Donnis Chiarella, 65, was airlifted to a hospital in Miami for treatment and remains in serious condition. The couple was celebrating their anniversary at the resort, ABC News, reported.
He also revealed that blood samples have been taken from all the victims and sent to a lab in Philadelphia for toxicology tests, with results of the toxicology study expected in about a week.
Additionally, officials collected samples from the rooms where the tourists were staying and the surrounding property to determine whether any contaminants were present.
“We really want to know what caused this,” Rolle said, adding that the Bahamas’ Department of Environmental Health and police officers are still at the resort.
Rolle did reveal that all four tourists went to a doctor the night before their bodies were discovered and had complained of feeling ill.
Sandals, in a statement to Fox News Digital, said “it is with deep sadness that we can confirm the passing of three guests at Sandals Emerald Bay on May 6, 2022.
“A health emergency was initially reported and following our protocols we immediately alerted emergency medical professionals and relevant local authorities,” it added. “We are actively working to support both the investigation as well as the guests’ families in every way possible during this difficult time.”
Sandals has since said it would not comment further beyond its original statement, which noted that it is supporting the investigation and the families of those affected.
“Out of respect for the privacy of our guests, we cannot disclose further information at this time,” the company said.
The Royal Bahama Police Force said in a statement Friday that when investigators arrived on-scene, they were “directed to the first villa.
“On entering a bedroom, they found a Caucasian male laying on the ground unresponsive,” the statement read. “An examination of the body was conducted, there was [sic] no signs of trauma found. The local doctor later pronounced the victim dead.”
The police officers then went to a second villa where they say a man was found unresponsive and “slumped against a wall in a bathroom.” In the bedroom, a woman was found unresponsive. Police said the individuals showed signs of “convulsion.”
