SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (CNN) – Another American tourist has died in the Dominican Republic bringing the total to at least nine deaths since last June.
Jason Allen’s brother died in the Dominican Republic last week. He said, “We have no reason to believe his death was of natural causes.”
The family of 55-year-old Allen spoke out after he was found dead in a hotel room in the Dominican Republican last week. “We have no reason to believe his death was of natural causes,” his brother said. “I know my brother had a fever. He complained about being really hot. His friend looked at him, he was sweating bullets, took a shower, cooled off, said he felt a lot better. He was going to hang out that night, decided, ‘You know what, I feel better but not well enough to go hang out.’”
The New Jersey resident is the ninth American to die at a Dominican Republic resort in the past year. “He had just gotten a physical prior to his trip,” Allen’s brother said. “He had a clean bill of health.”
Last month, an American couple from Maryland was found dead in their hotel room. According to the Dominican Republic National Police, an autopsy concluded the couple had died of respiratory failure and pulmonary edema, a condition caused by excess fluid in the lungs.
Now the F.B.I. is working with Dominican authorities, assisting in further toxicology analysis.
Officials in the Dominican Republic or the U.S. have not indicated that the deaths are connected.
About 2.2 million American tourists visited the Dominican Republic last year and officials in the country insist it is still safe to vacation there.
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