By Caribbean News Now contributor
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – A Long Island pizzeria proprietor has reportedly become the 12th known case of an American traveller who has died in the Dominican Republic under strange conditions in the year – as one of the resorts at the centre of the mystery decides to remove liquor dispensers in response to the spate of deaths.
Vittorio Caruso, 56, of Glen Cove, died on June 17 soon after he reportedly drank something and became critically unwell at the Boca Chica Resort in Santo Domingo. The State Department confirmed Caruso’s death to reporters.
Lisa Maria Caruso, Caruso’s sister-in-law, told reporters that Vittorio was in good health. He co-owned a pizzeria with his brother until a month ago. She said he visited the Dominican Republic alone.
‘We found out he was brought by ambulance to the hospital in respiratory distress after drinking something,’ Caruso said. ‘We were told he was not responding to any meds he was given and died.
Caruso told reporters that Dominican officials wanted to cremate the body, but the family declined, declaring it wants a post-mortem.
In response to the uncanny spate of deaths, the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Punta Cana stated that it would remove liquor dispensers from minibars in hotel rooms.
Hotel management also stated that it had appointed an American-based health care firm to inspect the resort to ‘ensure the on-site health clinic is complying with all international and US standards.’
Two of the 14 American tourists who died suddenly in the Dominican Republic in the last year were guests at the Hard Rock in Punta Cana.
Earlier on Saturday, it was discovered that a retired police officer from Ohio became the 11th American visitor to die suddenly in the Dominican Republic.
Jerry Curran, a 78-year-old who had worked for 32 years with the Bedford Police Department before working as a bailiff, died in January while staying at the Dreams Resort in Punta Cana.
Curran began vomiting and was unresponsive, three days after he and his wife Janet arrived at the resort on January 22. Curran was…
