DR Update – The latest on the deaths, illnesses & denials
Bottom Line: Over the weekend the Dominican Republic, once again went out of its way to suggest there’s nothing to see regarding the mysterious deaths of numerous Americans. In fact, the DR’s trade minister actually cited information indicating that American deaths are down over prior years in 2019. It’s true, that also should be something that sends off possible alarm bells. Part of what we’ve learned during this process is that numerous deaths in the DR, like that of Barbara Cochran's brother in April, that weren’t questioned prior to this story breaking – now are. In other words, many of the death’s due to heart attacks or natural causes in years gone by may be related to the circumstances being investigated by the FBI in the DR right now. Here’s the latest...
- 10 Americans have died under unusual circumstances
- 79 Americans (latest total I was able to piece together) claim to have become ill under unusual circumstances while traveling to the DR over the past year
The FBI has now obtained numerous pieces of evidence that are being studied through toxicology analysis. The Bureau indicated it takes up to a month to receive the results. The current safety level in the DR for Americans is currently only a 2 out of 4 on the U.S. State Department’s travel advisory ranking system. The current status is this:
- Exercise increased caution in the Dominican Republic due to crime.Violent crime, including armed robbery, homicide and sexual assault is a concern throughout the Dominican Republic. The development of a professional tourist police corps, institution of a 911 system in many parts of the country, and a concentration of resources in resort areas means these tend to be better policed than urban areas like Santo Domingo. The wide availability of weapons, the use and trade of illicit drugs, and a weak criminal justice system contribute to the high level of criminality on the broader scale.
For now, the extreme caution would be not traveling there for the foreseeable.