Tainted alcohol at resorts in Mexico may be behind numerous reports of death, blackouts, injuries and illness among American tourists, according to an exclusive report by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The family of Abbey Conner, a 20-year-old Milwaukee woman who died of drowning in January at the Iberostar Hotel & Resorts' Paraiso del Mar, said a Mexican government report made after her death suggested the role of tainted alcohol.
"They serve alcoholic drinks with alcohol of bad quality and in great amounts, mixing different types of drinks," stated the report, per the Journal Sentinel.
The Journal government report said the national health authority had seized more than 1.4 million gallons of adulterated alcohol since 2010 from hotels, entertainment establishments and other locations.
The report warned that the bootleg liquor could be mixed with grain alcohol or dangerous concentrations of methanol.
Connor, who was on a family vacation with her mother, stepfather and brother, was found unconscious in a resort pool shortly after they arrived, was listed as brain dead and taken off of life support after she was transferred to Florida.
The Connor family said the U.S. State Fepartment, Mexican officials, and the hotel have not been helpful in their investigation of what happened.
Police in Mexico called Connor's drowning an accident, which didn’t convince the family, said Fox News.
"If it was an accident, where was everybody?" asked Florentino Ramirez, the U.S. attorney hired by Abbey Connor's mother and stepfather, Ginny and John McGowan. "It just doesn't make sense. There are too many open ends."
That incident followed similar complaints at other Mexican resorts.
Kathy Daley, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, told the Journal Sentinel that she was hospitalized after being served drinks at the Iberostar in Cancun in March 2016 while on vacation with her husband and neighbors. She said she fell unconscious after a bartender offered her a mixed drink.
Maureen Webster, launched the site Mexicovacationawareness.com almost 10 years ago, after her 22-year-old son Nolan drowned in the pool at a Mexican resort.
"The travel industry and the United States government have got to make it clear to the Mexico Department of Tourism that Mexico needs to make improving their safety standards a priority," said the website.
"And that failure to do so will create a serious decline in their tourist industry. Please use the information on this website to assist you in making an educated decision about whether Mexico, in its current state, is a good vacation choice," the site continued.
Webster told the Journal Sentinel that Mexican officials resort to victim blaming when a death occurs.
"Shame on the (U.S.) government for not making this an issue," Webster told the newspaper. "It's a big problem."