The pathologist “agreed to do the autopsy” on Monday, Bahamas Police Commissioner Paul Roll said, and additional information will be provided when available.
Autopsy exams could help answer questions about how three Americans – two from Tennessee and one from Florida – died overnight. A fourth American, the wife of the deceased Florida, was airlifted to the nation’s capital, Nassau, for further treatment before being transferred to the state.
No injuries were found on the bodies, the Royal Bahamas said in a statement to CNN, and the circumstances remain under investigation.
How did the situation develop?
According to a police statement, authorities at the George Town Police Department received a call shortly after 9 a.m. Friday from staff that a man who did not respond was found in one of the resort’s villas.
On the way to the scene, police were told that another man and a woman, both unresponsive, were found in another villa on the property.
Police found in the first villa a “Caucasian man lying on the ground unresponsive” with no signs of injury. A doctor has determined his death, police said. The woman who was hospitalized was found with him, Roll said on Saturday.
In the second villa, they found a man “falling to a wall in the bathroom without reacting” and the woman was “found in a bedroom on a bed”, according to a police statement.
“Both showed signs of convulsions,” the statement said, and neither showed signs of trauma.
“They all said they were feeling bad the night before,” Roll said, “and they were examined by medics.” They have been treated at different times and eaten before in different places, he said.
When asked at a news conference how long the guests may have been dead before they were found, Roll said: “They were examined by a doctor the night before and it would be around 11am and were found the next morning. So, we have a timeline … between 11pm and 8:30am to 9am in the morning. “
Who are the victims?
Husband Michael Phillips, 68, and wife Robbie Phillips, 65, have been identified by authorities as the Tennessee couple who died at the resort. Vincent Paul Chiarella, 64, of Florida, was the third person found dead. His wife, Donnis, 65, has since been moved from Nassau to Kendall Hospital in Miami and is in good condition, according to Jennifer Gierrie, a spokeswoman for the East Florida Hospital Corporation. Their son Austin Chiarella told ABC News his mother “woke up and my father was lying there on the floor and she couldn’t move. Her legs and arms were swollen and she couldn’t move and she was screaming to make someone come in the door. “
Donis Chiarella told her son that she fell ill on Thursday, but after she was released from a clinic, she “thought she was fine”, according to ABC.
He said he was devastated by his father’s death. “My father was everything to me,” he told ABC.
CNN’s efforts to reach Austin Chiarella were unsuccessful.
The Philip family’s daughter, Caroline Phillips Fortenbury, sent a statement to CNN on Monday.
“Our hearts are sorrowful and broken, but full of hope,” she wrote. “We know that our mothers and fathers are full of joy in the presence of our heavenly Father. We miss them terribly now. Our parents left us a legacy of faith in Jesus and generously loved their family and friends.
Authorities are working on plans to repatriate the bodies of the dead and steps have been taken to hand over their belongings to their representatives in the United States, Rolle said.
Where is the investigation?
There is no suspicion of a dishonest death game on Friday, said acting Bahamian Prime Minister Chester Cooper.
Roll declined to answer reporters’ specific questions Monday about whether authorities were looking for specific clues, saying only that several samples had been taken from the premises and their forensic examination should help determine if there were any chemicals.
According to the Roll Lab in Philadelphia, which is supporting toxicological research with Bahamas pathologists, the results could be available within seven days.
The environmental health department is still on site at the resort on Monday, Rolle said.
The US State Department said in a press release: “We are closely monitoring local authorities’ investigation into the cause of death. We are ready to provide all necessary consular assistance.”
Sandals Resorts said in a statement to CNN on Saturday: “Nothing is more important to Sandals Resorts than the safety of our guests” and expressed “deep sadness”, confirming the death.
The resort is working to “support both the investigation and the families of the guests in every way possible”, but could not disclose additional information “out of respect for the privacy of our guests”, according to the statement.
Carlos Suarez, Carol Alvarado, Sarah Smart, Hira Humayun, Jason Hannah, Teresa Waldrop, Rebecca Rhys, Elliott C. McLaughlin, Steve Almasi, Sarah Jorgensen and Susanna Cullinan contributed to this report.
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