A 31-year-old Georgia man is the latest fatality connected to vacationing in the Dominican Republic.
[FLASHBACK: Vacationers Beware! American Couple Found Dead in Dominican Republic Hotel Room]
The death, which has been confirmed by the US State Department, marks the 13th American tourist to mysteriously die in the Dominican Republic over the past year.
Details below…
Tracy Jerome Jester Jr., 31, of Forsyth, Georgia is the 13th tourist that has returned home in a body bag after vacationing in the Caribbean nation.
Jester’s death certificate notes that he died on March 17, 2019 as a result of “respiratory issues,” after a day of sightseeing in the Caribbean country.
Jester’s mother, Melody Moore, told ABC News on Sunday that her son had been staying at a resort with his sister, though it was not immediately clear which one.
A State Department spokesperson issued the following statement regarding the unexplained death:
We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in the Dominican Republic in March 2019.
We offer our sincerest condolences to the family for their loss. Out of respect for the family during this difficult time, we do not have additional information to provide.
No immediate evidence has linked Jester’s death to any of the other recent tourist fatalities in the country — and the State Department told ABC that there is no “uptick” in American deaths there, despite the increased media attention.
Moore told Atlanta’s WSB-TV 2 last week that she spoke with her son during his time away, and he seemed fine. But she recalled that he said he drank a soda that didn’t taste quite right.
Early the next day, Jester’s sister frantically called Moore to say that her brother was struggling to breathe.
His sister said he collapsed and vomited blood before losing consciousness.
Jester’s body was returned home on April 4, his mom told ABC. The circumstances surrounding his death remain a mystery and an autopsy determined the 31 year old died of “natural causes”.
The mom says, besides what was written on his death certificate, she has no answers to why her son passed away so suddenly. She also confirmed her son had lupus.
Moore also told ABC that the family never ordered a toxicology report because Jester died before news spread of the mysterious deaths in the country, but she still seeks answers.
“I would like to know the truth,” she said.