Tourist dies in mysterious Dominican Republic drowning three months after student whose body was never found

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

A Canadian tourist has been found dead on a beach in the Dominican Republic, marking the second recent mysterious fatality in the Caribbean country under unexplained circumstances.
Dorian Christian MacDonald, 38, of Nova Scotia, Canada, was tragically discovered dead in the waters off a beach in Maimon Bay last week while vacationing in the Dominican Republic's popular Puerto Plata resort town, according to CTV News.
The unsettling discovery comes just three months after 20-year-old spring breaker Sudiksha Konanki vanished from her resort - her body still missing, and the case clouded in more questions than answers.
'He wasn't just a friend. He was my brother in every way but blood - and maybe more so than some who share it,' wrote MacDonald's loved one, Tara McKenzie, on a GoFundMe page launched to help cover expenses.
'He was that person, his presence felt like it would just always be there. And now, somehow, just like that, he's gone.'
On June 20th, MacDonald reportedly took a brief late-night walk alone on a beach around 2am, stepping out from his solitary stay at a hotel in Puerto Plata on the island's north coast, according to CTV News.
Tragically, that would be the last time he was seen alive, as just an hour later, a harrowing 911 call was placed reporting a missing person.
Both police personnel and Civil Defense - a government agency that supports local law enforcement with naval operations - arrived at the scene, where they discovered MacDonald's body in the water during high tide just after 4am.
According to the fundraiser, the Canadian tourist tragically died from a sudden and unexpected drowning.
'On June 20th, while vacationing in the DR, Dorian died suddenly in a drowning accident,' McKenzie wrote. 'He was only 38 years old.'
'And now, the world feels a lot quieter and a whole lot less vibrant just knowing he's no longer part of it,' she added.
A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada (GAC) told CTV News that the department 'is aware of the death of a Canadian citizen in the Dominican Republic,' but 'due to privacy considerations, no further information may be disclosed.'
Now, MacDonald's family - his mother, sisters, and close friends - are tirelessly working to bring his body back home to Nova Scotia, with the fundraiser launched to support the difficult process.
'We don't even get to even begin saying goodbye properly or grieve as we should until then,' McKenzie wrote. 'The process of repatriating someone from another country is a slow, expensive and deeply complicated situation that I wish on no one.'
'Between flights, international paperwork, funeral coordination, preparation of his body and all the red tape, we're looking at a cost of $10,000–$20,000 just to get him back,' she added.
'And honestly? We just want him out of that cold system and back where he belongs - with us.'
As of Friday evening, the family had raised over $33,000 toward their $40,000 goal.
'Dorian handed out hugs, compliments and I love you's as freely as oxygen and always wanted and was willing to celebrate any and everything together, McKenzie added.
'We will carry your name, your stories, the memories, your ridiculous jokes and infectious laugh and incredible heart with us always.'
Although the Dominican Republic is known as one of the Caribbean's most sought-after tourist destinations, several foreigners have been found dead under suspicious circumstances - including unexplained drownings and mysterious disappearances from guarded beaches.
Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student, vanished in the early hours of March 6 at the Riu Republica Resort on Punta Cana.
The spring breaker was caught on CCTV walking to the beach with former Iowa high school wrestling champ, 22-year-old Joshua Riibe, at 4.15am.
Dominican officials were quick to rule her death a drowning, but investigator Toby Braun - along with an oceanography expert - told DailyMail.com that if that were the case, her body would almost certainly have washed ashore.
Riibe, the 22-year-old college student last seen with Konanki, quickly became a central figure in the chaotic case - his passport was confiscated, and he was ordered to remain in the Dominican Republic under strict supervision.
He came under suspicion after reportedly giving various versions of his drunken night out with Konanki, but provided more insight in a further interview with investigators before he returned to the US.
In a reversal of his earlier statements, Riibe later claimed he had managed to bring Konanki to safety before she ultimately went missing. He was never named a suspect in the case.
Konanki's family has since made the heartbreaking decision to ask the investigation to be closed as a drowning, as reported by Fox 5 DC.
However, Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman is urging Dominican Republic authorities to release all evidence related to the 20-year-old's case, citing key information that remains undisclosed - including the analysis of Riibe's cell phone and any text messages sent after Konanki's disappearance.
Chapman has since dispatched two of his own detectives to the Dominican Republic to conduct an independent investigation.