3 Americans in Belize died from carbon monoxide in hotel room, officials say
Three American women who were discovered dead in a Belize resort hotel room last month died from carbon monoxide poisoning, their families said.
A joint statement this week from their families cites the U.S. Embassy in Belize and says the women died from "acute carbon monoxide poisoning, likely caused by a faulty instant water heater."
Wafae El Arar, 26; Imane Mallah, 24; and Kaoutar Naqqad, 23, were found dead in their San Pedro hotel room Feb. 22, officials said.
Mayor Patrick M. Keefe Jr. of Revere, Massachusetts, has described the women as "daughters, friends and contributors to our city."
On Thursday, Belize National Forensic Science Service's executive director told local news stations the women had lethal levels of carboxyhemoglobin — greater than 50% — which forms in red blood cells tainted by carbon monoxide before shoving vital oxygen aside.
Forensics chief Gian Cho said the three had no illicit drugs in their systems.
Belize Police Commissioner Chester Williams said last month that vomit, alcohol and "gummies" were observed in the hotel room. Marijuana gummies are popular in states where cannabis is legal; fatal overdoses are rare.
Belize Fire Chief Colin Gillet told PlusTV last month carbon monoxide poisoning was ruled out. A second round of testing was ordered, however, and the hotel was temporarily closed, Williams has said.
Representatives of the hotel did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Friday.
The families were concerned about the integrity of the investigation, and the Massachusetts chief medical examiner's office agreed to determine cause and manner of death, still pending.
In their statement Thursday, the families said, "Survivors such as our families deserve their best, honest work. We received it today but needed it throughout this investigative process."
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump Admin Brings Back Hundreds of CDC Staffers it Previously Fired
The Trump administration is reversing its decision to fire hundreds of staffers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in a humiliating about-turn. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) told STAT that the CDC will be bringing back more than 450 employees that were fired in an attempt to reorganize the agency. Some of the departments that will be reinstating employees are: The National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention; the Global Health Center; the National Center for Environmental Health; the Immediate Office of the Director. These divisions helped track and prevent HIV, prevent lead poisoning in children, as well as ensure that cruise lines were safe from disease. HHS, which also oversees the CDC, first announced this 'dramatic restructuring' in March, saying that they would downsize from 82,000 to 62,000 full-time employees, claiming that it would 'save taxpayers $1.8 billion per year.' The department also revealed that it would be creating a new division called the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA), which would be led by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 'We aren't just reducing bureaucratic sprawl. We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic,' Kennedy said. 'This Department will do more—a lot more—at a lower cost to the taxpayer,' he claimed. He reaffirmed this sentiment in an X post in March, noting that these cuts would help eliminate the current 'alphabet soup of departments.' 'We are streamlining HHS to make our agency more efficient and more effective. We will eliminate an entire alphabet soup of departments,' he said. As a result, around 10,000 employees were fired under the guidance of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Yet Kennedy has already backtracked on these sweeping federal layoffs, admitting in April that too many cuts were made in the effort to 'Make America Healthy Again,' though he said that 'was always the plan.' 'We're streamlining the agencies. We're going to make it work for public health, make it work for the American people. In the course of that, there were a number of instances where studies that should have not have been cut were cut, and we've reinstated them,' Kennedy said. 'Personnel that should not have been cut were cut—we're reinstating them, and that was always the plan,' he stated.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
How can outdoor workers beat the heat this summer? Local doctor reacts
PRINCETON, WV (WVNS) – Summer time might be a fun time, but it can also be a dangerous one. As the summer heat returns, so do heat-related illnesses. This can be a problem for any American that needs to be outside for their job. And issues can set in very quickly if precautions are not made. If someone is working on a roof, specifically metal or shingles, you're going to get a lot of heat reflected or absorbed in that immediate environment especially if it's a low wind day. That can even be in less than a couple of hours.' Dr. Steven Stafancic with Princeton Community Hospital In 2022 alone, a little over 30 percent of American employees had regular outdoor exposure. This is according to a study from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Tree falls on cars at West Virginia State Capitol Steven Lamontagne is a landscaper who runs a business out of Rainelle. He said the summer work schedule is the most difficult on the calendar. You got so many people wanting stuff done. Everyone wants it done at the beginning of summer and you just have to do it job-by-job. Especially for seeding and stuff like that, people want their lawn seeded and want to be able to cut it during the summertime.' Steven Lamontagne, Landscaper with PMG Solutions So what can you do to beat the heat? It is recommended you take plenty of breaks and pay attention if you feel something wrong. West Virginia Cancer Registry gains national recognition It is also recommended to have plenty of electrolytes nearby. Every provider has their rule of thumb. Some people say a bottle of water to a bottle of Gatorade. Some people say mixing a bottle of Gatorade and that's okay to drink. In my experience, if people do electrolyte-containing fluid, it gives them more energy and stamina during the day.' Dr. Steven Stafancic with Princeton Community Hospital Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
MTV's Ananda Lewis Dies at 52
Ananda Lewis, a former MTV VJ, has died at the age of 52. Lakshmi Emory, whom Lewis once described as a 'phenomenal sister' in a birthday message, shared news of her death in a June 11 Facebook post. 'She's free, and in His heavenly arms,' she wrote next to a black-and-white photo of Lewis. 'Lord, rest her soul.' Emory did not share additional details, including Lewis' cause of death. Lewis was an MTV staple in the late '90s, hosting 'Total Request Live' and video countdown show'Hot Zone.' She also hosted her own talk show 'The Ananda Lewis Show' in 2001. Lewis was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer in 2019, but later revealed that she opted against the double mastectomy doctors recommended at the time. In a January 2025 op-ed for Essence, Lewis shared that she tried alternative methods to monitor her breast cancer, including cuting out alcohol, sugar, monthly ultrasounds, high-dose vitamin C IVs, hyperbaric chamber sessions and qigong exercise, among others. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she discovered that her tumor had grown and underwent genetically targeted fractionated chemotherapy, which is a treatment that destroys cancer cells without harming healthy ones, according to Cleveland Clinic. However, a PET scan done in October 2023 confirmed that her cancer had progressed to Stage 4 cancer. This time, she shared that she underwent treatment at an integrative facility. While Lewis had previously said she regretted refusing to undergo mammograms out of fear of radiation exposure, she urged the importance of women getting informed and learning about prevention. In her 2025 Essence piece, she wrote, 'Going into 2025, I would say to women: Do everything in your power to avoid my story becoming yours. If I had known what I know now 10 years ago, perhaps I wouldn't have ended up here.' Adding, 'I encourage people to look at the information and studies that exist. Seek them out, learn from them and apply the changes to your life, so that you can continue to thrive and live as long as you can.' This article was originally published on
