Carbon Monoxide Poisoning a Possible Cause of Death for 3 Women Found in Belize Hotel: Reports
Police are investigating whether carbon monoxide poisoning could have played a role in the deaths of three American women after their bodies were found at a hotel in Belize last month.
On Feb. 24, authorities in the country identified the victims, who were staying at the Royal Kahal Beach Resort, located in San Pedro Town, as Kaoutar Naqqad, 23, Imane Mallah, 24, and Wafae El-Arar, 26, according to the Associated Press.
The trio had checked into the resort's Bird of Paradise Suite on Feb. 19, local media outlet 7 News Belize reported at the time, before their bodies were discovered by staff on Feb. 22.
While the cause of their deaths has yet to be confirmed, police had been investigating the deaths as possible drug overdoses, AP reported.
Police Commissioner Chester Williams has now said in a recent news conference, "It was agreed a second round of testing be done at the hotel," per a clip shared by 7 News Belize on March 19.
Related: Friends Demand Answers as 3 American Women Are Found Dead in Belize Hotel with Police Suggesting Possible Drug Overdoses
He noted that previous guests had commented on the carbon monoxide levels at the hotel, adding that the people in question had done their own testing.
"While they were there, they had done some tests with their own carbon monoxide tester and they had detected carbon monoxide," Williams shared. He said that police didn't yet know the results of the tests authorities had completed, claiming that the hotel had been temporarily closed amid the investigation. It's not clear whether the hotel has now reopened.
Williams told reporters that police were hopefully going to be receiving the results of the toxicology reports regarding the women's deaths "within the next week or two."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless gas that kills without warning. It claims the lives of hundreds of people every year and makes thousands more ill."
"Many household items including gas- and oil-burning furnaces, portable generators, and charcoal grills produce this poison gas," the site added.
The women's families commented on the update in a statement shared by NBC News. "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," they said.
"We believe the families of all guests — past and future — deserve a clear explanation for this action," they added, according to the outlet.
NBC News stated that the women's bodies had been transferred to their home state of Massachusetts.
Friends and family have been demanding answers since Williams said in a news conference that "alcohol and some gummies" had been found at the scene, per Channel 5 Belize.
'We're not saying at this time that the gummies caused death, but we're looking at every possibility,' the officer previously said.
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In a joint statement shared with PEOPLE earlier this month, the women's families urged authorities in Belize and the U.S. to conduct a "thorough and transparent investigation" into the circumstances surrounding their death that remain "unclear and suspicious."
"We ask for continued prayers, patience, and privacy as we navigate this profound sorrow," the statement added.
The Belize Police Department, the Royal Kahal Beach Resort and the Massachusetts' Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) didn't immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.
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