June 04, 2019
Screenshot/Google Street View
Shown is a view of the units at the Grand Bahia Principe La Romana hotel, the resort where an Allentown woman and a couple from Maryland died in a five-day span.
An Allentown woman reportedly died at a hotel in the Dominican Republic on May 25, five days before a Maryland couple was found dead in their room in the same hotel.
Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, worked as a pscyhotherapist in Pennsylvania and lived in Allentown, according to a new report Tuesday from Fox News. She and family members were visiting the Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville in the city of La Romana when she reportedly died after having a drink from the mini-bar in her room, according to a relative who was staying with Schaup-Werner at the hotel.
Five days later, an engaged couple visiting from Maryland were found dead in the same hotel by a resort employee, who went to their room when they failed to check out.
The Maryland couple's death has been reported as respiratory failure by the Dominican Republic National Police, according to WBAL. A cause for Schaup-Werner's death has not been reported.
Fox News says the U.S. State Department confirmed Schaup-Werner's death Tuesday:
"The U.S. State Department on Tuesday confirmed the death to Fox News, saying: 'We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in the Dominican Republic. We offer our sincerest condolences to the family for their loss. We are in close contact with local authorities regarding their investigation into the cause of death. We stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance.'
"'The U.S. Department of State and our embassies and consulates abroad have no greater responsibility than the protection of U.S. citizens overseas. Out of respect to the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment.'"
The hotel told Fox News in a statement that Schaup-Werner died in the room, before she could be taken to a hospital. The hotel said it provided its "complete support" to Schaup-Werner's husband, Daniel Werner, with the local authorities and the U.S. Embassy.
Jay McDonald, a relative of Schaup-Werner, told Fox News the family was shocked when it learned of the Maryland couple's subsequent death.
“That was beyond coincidence,” he told Fox News. “They died five days after, and the cause was determined to be the same, this just puts this whole thing through the stratosphere – something is going on, and we want to know what it is.”
This comes just a week after Tammy Lawrence-Daley, a Wilmington woman, took to Facebook to share the story of being viciously attacked at a resort in the Dominican Republic. Her story quickly went viral.
Lawrence-Daley and her husband were staying at Majestic Elegance Punta Cana, a 90-minute drive across the island from the Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville. Lawrence-Daley says she was assaulted from behind after dark, lost consciousness multiple times, and was dragged into a "hole" where she remained for hours before resort staff found her.
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