Pa. woman among 3 Americans to die at same Dominican Republic resort
A couple from Maryland also were found dead in their hotel room at the Bahía Príncipe resort.
The U.S. State Department is monitoring the investigations into the sudden deaths of three Americans, including a Pennsylvania woman, at a resort in the Dominican Republic.
Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, a psychotherapist from Allentown, died May 25 from a heart attack in her hotel room at the Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville, according to the resort.
She died "suddenly and inexplicably in her hotel room ... after arriving and having a drink from the in-room mini-bar,” a family spokesperson, Jay McDonald, said in a statement to ABC News. Schaup-Werner was with her husband, Daniel Werner, when she began experiencing physical distress and collapsed, he said.
McDonald told Fox News that Schaup-Werner had been diagnosed with inflammation around her heart 15 years ago, sought treatment for it, and was otherwise healthy. The resort said her husband told investigators his wife had a history of heart conditions.
Co-workers described the psychologist as a specialist in individual therapy who was devoted to her patients and enjoyed vacations, having previously traveled to the Dominican Republic, according to the Allentown Morning Call.
Schaup-Werner’s death came days before another American couple were found dead at a nearby Bahia Principe resort hotel.
On May 30, a couple from Maryland — Nathaniel Edward Holmes, 63, and Cynthia Ann Day, 49 — were found dead in their room in another hotel at the resort, the Grand Bahia Principe La Romana, after missing their scheduled checkout time. They had arrived May 25 and posted a photo of themselves together on a boat on Facebook on May 28.
The two died of respiratory failure and pulmonary edema, Dominican police said. Toxicology reports are pending.
The resort said Wednesday there were no known connections between Schaup-Werner’s death and the Maryland couple’s deaths.
“In both circumstances, established security protocols were followed, and we have maintained open communication with the authorities to provide information and clarification for each case,” the resort said in a statement.
The State Department issued a statement saying: “We can confirm the recent deaths of three U.S. citizens in La Romana, the Dominican Republic — Nathaniel Edward Holmes, Cynthia Ann Day and Miranda Schaup-Werner. We offer our sincerest condolences to the families for their loss. The U.S. Embassy is actively monitoring the investigations by Dominican authorities into these tragic deaths. We stand ready to provide assistance as requested.”
Separately, last week, a Delaware woman went public with the story of how she was severely injured in an attack at another Dominican Republic resort in Punta Cana six months ago.
Tammy Lawrence-Daley told 6ABC she was beaten for two hours and dumped in a crawl space. She told the station her injuries included a broken orbital, a broken hand, and nerve damage. She said she has undergone a half-dozen surgeries and procedures since the attack.
Saying there were unanswered questions in “this strange and unusual request,” the Majestic Elegance Resort in Punta Cana cast doubts on aspects of Lawrence-Daley’s account and said she went public with her claims after the resort rejected her demand for $2.2 million in compensation.
Lawrence-Daley did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.