SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Carbon monoxide poisoning has killed three American tourists found dead in May at a resort in the Bahamas, police said Tuesday.
Authorities did not provide further details, saying the deaths were still under investigation.
The victims had been identified as Michael Phillips, 68, and Robbie Phillips, 65, of Tennessee; and Vincent Chiarella, 64, of Florida.
Chiarella’s wife, Donnis Chiarella, 65, was found alive and taken to New Providence for medical treatment, then taken to a Florida hospital. His condition was not immediately known.
The couples were staying in separate villas next to each other in the same building as the Sandals Emerald Bay resort on Exuma Island. It was not clear if the villas had carbon monoxide detectors and if they did, if they were working.
Police said the four tourists went to a doctor the night before they discovered their bodies and had complained of feeling unwell.
In a statement issued a month ago, Sandals said the deaths “were in no way related to the resort’s air conditioning system, food and beverage service, gardening services or foul play.”
It was not clear what was the source of carbon monoxide that killed the tourists. A Sandals spokeswoman referred all questions to police, while Bahamian police spokeswoman Audley Peters said she could not provide the information “at this time” and did not answer further questions.
Sandals said carbon monoxide detectors have since been installed in all rooms at Emerald Bay Sandals and will be installed in all rooms elsewhere.
“We have taken additional steps such as hiring environmental safety experts for a thorough review of all systems in the complex,” the company said.
The deaths come seven years after a Delaware family became seriously ill at a resort in the U.S. Virgin Islands. U.S. authorities determined that methyl bromide, a highly toxic pesticide banned for indoor residential use in 1984, was the culprit and had been used several times in this complex.