Carbon monoxide poisoning killed 3 U.S. tourists at Sandals Bahamas resort, reports say
Three American tourists found dead inside two villas at a luxury Sandals resort in the Bahamas earlier this month were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning, according to local news reports.
Vincent Paul Chiarella, 64, of Florida, Michael Phillips, 68, and his wife Robbie Phillips, 65, from Tennessee, were found dead in the villas on May 6 at the adults-only Sandals Emerald Bay Resort on Great Exuma.
Both the Tribune and The Nassau Guardian newspapers are reporting that their cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning. The autopsy and toxicology reports are expected to be released soon, according to the newspapers.
Chiarella’s wife, Donnis, 65, was taken to a hospital in Nassau and was then airlifted to Kendall Regional Hospital in Miami-Dade County. The Chiarellas, who own a home in Panama City Beach, Florida, were reportedly celebrating their anniversary at the resort.
All four had fallen ill shortly before their deaths, and had gone to the clinic, at different times, to get treatment. Their villas were next to each other in the same building at the resort, according to the Nassau Guardian. Two of the tourists who died were members of Sandals travel advisor community, Sandals Resort said Wednesday afternoon in an emailed statement to the Miami Herald.
In the statement, Sandals also said that Bahamaian authorities had concluded that the tourists cause of death 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.”
“Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our guests and team members is and will always be paramount. It is for this reason that we have taken additional measures such as engaging environmental safety experts for a comprehensive review of all systems across the resort,” the statement reads in part. “In addition, CO detectors have now been placed in all guest rooms at Sandals Emerald Bay and although not mandated in any Caribbean destination where we operate, detectors will be installed in all guest rooms throughout the portfolio. Our entire team is keeping the families in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
Miami Herald has contacted the Royal Bahamas Police Force but has not heard back.
This story was originally published May 24, 2022 at 7:39 AM.
