Philadelphia couple claim they fell ill at same Dominican Republic resort where three other Americans died

Doug Hand and Susie Lauterborn, of South Philly, stayed at the Grand Bahia in June 2018 and thought they had food poisoning

A Philly couple is saying they too fell ill at the Grand Bahia resort in the Dominican Republic, the same resort where an Allentown woman and Maryland couple died in May.
Screenshot/Google Maps

A South Philly couple says they fell ill at the same Dominican Republic resort where three other American travelers died last month.

Doug Hand and Susie Lauerborn were at the Grand Bahia Principe Hotel for five days in June 2018 when they both got sick with what they thought was food poisoning — experiencing symptoms like diarrhea, nausea, cold sweats, and fevers.

The couple also noted that they smelled a strange odor inside their hotel room. 

“Like as soon as we got to the room, I noticed a smell. It smelled like a moldy, mildewy dirty air. My wife didn’t smell it, but I like picked up on it right away. She started getting symptoms about a day-and-a-half, two days in,” Hand told CBS.

Three visitors died while staying at the Grand Bahia in May, including Miranda Schaup-Werner, of Allentown, and a couple from Maryland. Recently-released autopsy reports conducted by the Dominican National Institute of Forensic Sciences showed that all three victims died of similar causes, including respiratory failure and pulmonary edema. 

The remains of Edward Nathaniel Holmes and Cynthia Ann Day, of Maryland, were returned to their families on Tuesday.

A Colorado couple also recently said they got sick in June 2018 at the same resort from symptoms that a doctor said resembled poisoning from an insecticide. 


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