150 Americans are victims of strange crimes in the expensive resorts of Mexico
'26.02.2018'
Source: USA Today
“She didn't leave on her own” - Karen Newton knows for sure that her 22-year-old daughter, who disappeared early in the morning from her room at a luxury beach resort in Mexico, disappeared against her will. The girl is one of 150 victims who still cannot get the truth and find out what happened to them.
At half past twelve, Karen saw her daughter returning to the room from the beach bar, accompanied by a friend. There was a feeling that the girl was full of drugs. The daughter did not vomit, but she could not speak, raise her head, control her movements. Mother put her to bed and stayed there until her daughter fell asleep. Something woke a woman in 4: 30 in the morning. She sat on the bed and realized that her daughter had disappeared.
This happened a few days after Christmas - more than half a year since the publication Milwaukee Journal Sentinel began reporting tragedies involving American and Canadian tourists vacationing in Mexico. The magazine identified 10 more people who reported dire - in some cases almost fatal - experiences of visiting Mexico only during the recent winter holidays. Previously, there were more than 140 such incidents, he wrote Forumdaily.
Most victims recall that they fell into a severe semi-conscious (and sometimes fainting) state after drinking several drinks - sometimes just one. After an hour they came to their senses, many later found out that they had been robbed, raped, beaten or wounded.
The case of her daughter Newton is one of the last. Seeing that the girl is not in the room, Karen ran through the corridors of the resort hotel. BlueBay Grand Esmeraldashouting her daughter's name, she asked for help from a guard who stayed with her for some time, called someone, but then disappeared. Karen found a daughter near her room, stumbling, with half-closed eyes, she was supported by two guards, writes USA Today
The girl was almost naked, wrapped in a towel. Those who brought her in vanished almost instantly. Karen's daughter muttered "Nine ... one hundred and fifty ... dollars" as she repeated that phrase.
What is common in all cases
Research Journal Sentinel showed that resorts are reluctant to call law enforcement or ambulance, and often tell guests that they should take a taxi to the police station or hospital if they need help.
When an Illinois resident was raped in July, the police arrived, but refused to interview the bartenders and any other people in the area. Help the victim is also not provided. In hospitals, if a tourist arrives with suspicion of drug intoxication, doctors deny this, saying that he was simply pumped up with alcohol.
One of the factors supporting Newton's suspicion that her daughter was “high” is the complete absence of a hangover in the morning and no memories. At the same time, the girl felt good. Her knees were knocked down and bruised. She doesn't think she was raped, but doubts it. When Newton approached the resort managers and asked them to call the police, they refused.
“They want you to feel like it was your own fault,” the woman says.
Her daughter could not say what the “$ 950” was, about which she said under the influence of an incomprehensible substance. “I don't love Mexico anymore,” the victim's mother admitted. "All this is a deeper and darker story than we have been able to find out."
Alcohol or drugs?
Among the more than 150 affected Americans in Mexico identified by the magazine Bilgel, some are convinced that they were “pumped up” on purpose, because after awakening it turned out that the person had become a victim of a crime. Others could not find a motive for what happened.
Mexican authorities have long recognized the problem of illegal alcohol. According to the government and alcohol industry report for 2017, 36% of all alcohol consumed in Mexico was produced in an unregulated situation. Last week, the government intercepted more than 18 700 gallons of illegal tequila. Tests have shown that more than 235 gallons contain dangerous levels of methanol (liquid that is used in washers, a toxic substance and can cause death even in small quantities). At the same time, the leaders of the Ministry of Tourism of Mexico insist that the resorts show no signs of spoiled alcohol.
Amitava Dasgupta, a professor at the University of Texas Tech Center in Houston, said some of the cases look like methanol poisoning.
Dozens of tourists told the magazine Sentinelthat have tried for many years to publish warnings on the tourist site TripAdvisor, but that the company refused to post them or quickly deleted them after publication. TripAdvisor apologized to several people after the history of the magazine Sentinel, in which it was shown how the company is silent about the stories of travelers telling about rape. Newton has published her story on the site - and the woman's review is still there. Manager BlueBay Grand Esmeralda Newton responded to the review as follows: "The hotel administration does not support your comments."
In another review BlueBay Grand Esmeralda, published just a few weeks after Newton, the woman said that she was raped by a resort employee, and the managers did not help by refusing to call the police and in every way protecting the worker. This review also remains on the website. TripAdvisor.
Mark LeBeau, a senior forensic scientist with the FBI, said the first important point in determining whether a person is under a drug is to determine whether alcohol can cause such symptoms. In many cases, victims remember that they only took one or two standard drinks. Most travelers say they have vivid memories of their last sips before they “pass out”. In several cases, couples - or even three people - lost the ability to be aware of reality at the same time. And most say they woke up a few hours later without a hangover.
So what if alcohol couldn't cause symptoms? “This suggests a different kind of substance,” Lebeau said.
The only way to figure this out is to collect urine and blood for at least 24 to 48 hours. Some of the drugs commonly used before rape are cleared from the body after 8-12 hours, experts say. However, it may also be due to low-quality alcohol.
Kimberly Polly from Illinois read all the reviews. Parents worried that she was traveling to Mexico with two friends to celebrate her 31st birthday and New Year's Eve. But Polly had been to Mexico many times and thought she would be fine. All three flew to Cancun at noon on December 27 and went to the beach, after which they took a “margarita” at the bar and lay down to relax by the pool. In three hours they consumed three fruit shots and two margaritas. All three agreed that after the third margarita they were turned off at the same time.
None of them remember anything about the next eight hours. At about one in the morning they woke up in their room. Polly was with wet hair and water in her ears, although she did not voluntarily bathe. The top of her swimsuit was tangled and worn crooked. Friends were with scratched faces and knees, hurt hands. Everything around was vomiting, and things were scattered by number. They had no idea what happened.
“You try to remember, but you can't break through the wall,” Polly recalled.
Without feeling safe, the girl and both friends quickly took the tickets and flew home. Polly published a story about her experiences in Facebook, but quickly removed when she was accused of being addicted to alcohol.
“I was well informed about what was going on there, but you really don't believe in it. I was also part of the problem, just not paying attention to it, ”the girl admits.
