Belize authorities eye carbon monoxide in deaths of 3 American tourists

Authorities in Belize are taking a closer look at the possibility that carbon monoxide poisoning may have played a role in the deaths of three Americans last month.

As the families of the dead released a statement Monday seeking answers one month since their bodies were discovered in their hotel room, the nation’s top police official said the resort has temporarily ceased operation.

“It was agreed a second round of testing be done at the hotel,” Commissioner of Police Chester Williams said last week at an impromptu news conference captured on video by television station 7 News Belize.

He said previous guests came forward to report they suspected carbon monoxide levels were notable during their own visits to Royal Kahal Beach Resort.

“While they were here, they had done some carbon monoxide testing and they had detected some carbon monoxide,” Williams said.

Carbon monoxide is produced in the combustion process of gas-engine vehicles, gas- and oil-burning furnaces, generators and charcoal grills. Unscented, it stealthily kills hundreds each year in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The three women, identified as Wafae El Arar, 26; Imane Mallah, 24; and Kaoutar Naqqad, 23, were found dead in their hotel room Feb. 22 after two days of unsuccessful door knocks prompted hotel staff to go inside, Williams said previously.

“We are deeply alarmed by news reports which suggest that carbon monoxide levels in the hotel could have been at dangerously high levels and that the resort has now suddenly closed without public explanation,” the women’s families said in Monday’s statement, provided by their spokesperson. “We believe the families of all guests – past and future – deserve a clear explanation for this action.” 

The police commissioner initially said alcohol and “gummies” were found in the room and each body was discovered next to vomit. He didn’t specify the type of gummies, but the confection is popular as a concentrated cannabis product in states where it’s legal. Researchers have noted very few overdose deaths from marijuana.

On Monday, the families’ statement said they believe the deaths are “suspicious” and want authorities on the case to find the “full truth.”

It wasn’t clear if the hotel, the Royal Kahal Beach Resort in San Pedro, has reopened.

Belize Minister of Tourism Anthony Mahler told Channel 5 Belize that the hotel voluntarily shut down and was implementing “remedial actions.”

The resort could reopen with permission from government authorities, he said.

The general manager of the Royal Kahal, police and other Belize officials did not respond to requests for comment Monday night.

Bert Nowak, the resort’s general manager, said in an interview last month that the women were in their second day of a weeklong stay, and expressed condolences to their families.

After the police commissioner initially said the Belize National Forensic Science Service would determine the cause and manner of death in the case, the bodies were transferred to the women’s home state of Massachusetts.

A spokesperson for the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said by email Monday that cause and manner of death were pending and could take more than two more months to determine.