After receiving several disturbing testimonies from people believed to have taken drugs in the Dominican Republic, the mother of a 25-year-old Quebecer who died mysteriously last January wants to warn travelers.
“People should be careful. It tells me that there are hidden things out there,” laments Sylvie Margot, William Garrow's mother.
On February 23, Newspaper The young man's tragic death was reported after a freak fall from three floors in a full psychotic trance at the five-star resort Grand Bahia Principe Ambar in Punta Cana.
William with his mother Sylvie Margot on their last holiday together last December.
Photo courtesy of Sylvie Margot
William and his brother-in-law were apparently intoxicated after drinking at the hotel bar.
Paranoia and motivation
from, Newspaper They collected half a dozen reports of concern from vacationers who said they had experienced similar episodes over the years.
Claude Desserault, the vacationer. Photo by Claude Dessureault
Confusion, paranoia, the urge to throw yourself off a balcony, vomiting, memory loss, extreme fatigue: the symptoms described send shivers down your spine.
That's what 55-year-old Claude Desserault says, as his son and son-in-law drank in the bar of a nearby hotel one evening in January 2023.
“They were wandering. My son had to be taken care of. He wanted to throw himself out of the window. He seemed stubborn,” says the Trois-Rivières resident, who has never seen his 23-year-old elder like this.
John Peristow, vacationer. Photo provided by John Peristo
John Peristo, a 51-year-old Ontarian, admitted to acting strangely like William in 2019 at Ambar.
“I ran for my life, naked, thinking I was being chased by the cartel,” he says.
Just one mirror
Elaine Jobin is also convinced that she and her daughter's friend were drunk there a year ago.
A 63-year-old woman has taken a bath after drinking and vomiting.
“When I read about William, it tore my heart out. It could have been one of us,” she says worriedly.
Also, a 56-year-old man from Brossart would have lost his life in almost identical circumstances in November 2021, still in Ambar.
“He screamed for help on the porch like William. Then he jumped from the first-floor balcony into the swimming pool,” whispers his 32-year-old niece, who wants to keep her identity a secret for personal reasons and believes her uncle was poisoned.
He says he is still shocked by the lack of cooperation from local authorities.
Roxanne Brissette and William Gareau during their last trip last January.
Photo courtesy of Roxanne Brissette
He firmly believed
“These other cases make me angry. It makes me think William may have been drugged,” laments Roxanne Brissette, his girlfriend of 23 years who witnessed his death up close. “We have to warn the world. We have to go there on vacation.”
Mr Conrad Lord, Advocate Photo courtesy of lordabovets.com
With these testimonies, Sylvie Margot is now convinced that her son William did not do anything voluntary. She says she's relieved, but wants to shed light on her child's death more than ever. She now relies on the help of a lawyer and private investigators.
“We are gathering information. The matter of the public is very important,” says Me Conrad Lord.
For their part, the Bahia Principe hotel complexes said they regretted the “unfortunate accident”. They believe that they have provided the necessary relief and assistance.
Despite our inquiries about the other cases, the public relations firm representing them would only say that the investigation into William's death is ongoing.
Other disturbing facts:
- In 2019, a dozen Americans died mysteriously in one year at all-inclusive resorts in the Dominican Republic. Four of them died at a company in the Bahia Principe chain Pres.
- On February 14, 2019, several media outlets reported that Daniel Douhart jumped from a three-story balcony of a hotel in the Dominican Republic. His mother, Holly Douhart, never believed he did anything on purpose, he told APTN News.
- On November 13, 2018, Quebecer Claude Veilleux died suspiciously at a hotel in the Bahia Principe chain in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Her family had a hard time believing her “natural death,” she said Pres.
