July 04, 2015
A Delaware family poisoned during their stay at a U.S. Virgin Islands resort is not doing well and will likely never recover, according to authorities.
The Virgin Island Daily News reported Wednesday that the territory's governor held a press conference Tuesday where he updated the status of the family, who fell seriously ill from a pesticide during their vacation in March.
The family has been receiving treatment at Schneider Hospital on the islands. Governor Kenneth Mapp said that with the exception of the mother, the two sons and father are unlikely to fully heal. From the Virgin Island Daily News:
"Unfortunately, I have to give some bad news. The family that were the victims of the poisoning at Sirenusa is not doing well.
The poison used by Terminix is a toxin to the neuro systems, and it has affected this family horribly.
For all intents and purposes, the doctors do not expect any significant recovery from their present condition."
While the family's mom Theresa Devine seems to be recovering, their father, Stephen Esmond, has reportedly suffered severe paralysis and needs support to even sit up.
Their teenage son Ryan is also paralyzed from the neck down, and their other son Sean, an 11th-grade student, has been in and out of a coma.
Mapp said that Terminix International, the company allegedly responsible for the family's poisoning, would be criminally charged, however federal authorities would not comment on that claim as they are still investigating the incident.
Devine, 48, is a dentist who practices in Broomall, Pennsylvania, while Stephen, 49, is the head of the Tatnall Middle School in Wilmington, according to Delaware Online.
