Families of Women Found Dead at San Pedro Resort Demand Answers, Call Deaths ‘Suspicious’

The families of the three young women found dead at the Royal Kahal Beach Resort in San Pedro on February 22 have released a statement. They continue to demand for a full investigation into the deaths of Kaoutar Naqqad, Imane Mallah, and Wafae El Arar. The families said, “It has been one month since our beloved Kaoutar, Imane and Wafae passed. Our families remain and will always be shattered by the loss.”

The family said that they “continue to await the results of the primary investigation” both in Belize and the one being conducted in Massachusetts.

“We speak today because we want the public and authorities, particularly those in Belize, to hear this: Kaoutar, Imane and Wafae deserve your best. They deserve an honest and full investigation, and we ask all of those in power in both Belize and the United States to join us in demanding answers to the true cause of this tragedy,” the statement added.

The families say the deaths of their loved ones “are suspicious.”

“We continue to believe the deaths of Wafae, Imane and Kaoutar are suspicious. We are hopeful the authorities will fulfill their responsibility to complete their reviews in a timely but thorough manner to ensure we know the full truth about what caused this tragedy,” the statement read.

The families also shared concerns about reports of carbon monoxide levels in the hotel. They said, “We are deeply alarmed by news reports which suggest that carbon monoxide levels in the hotel could have been at dangerously high levels and that the resort has now suddenly closed without public explanation.”

Last week, Police Commissioner Chester Williams told reporters, “it was agreed that a second round of testing be done at the hotel. This was after we had received reports from some previous guests at the hotel who had indicated that while they were there, they had done some tests with their own carbon monoxide test and they had detected carbon monoxide. So it was agreed to go back in and do a second round of testing.”

In late February, Colin Gillet, the Fire Chief of the Belize National Fire Service, told US media that officers conducted two separate tests for carbon monoxide and “found nothing.” 

Last Wednesday, Minister of Tourism Anthony Mahler confirmed that the resort’s shutdown was voluntary due to property issues. “We found some issues with the property, and so we had a discussion with them, and they decided to shut down to take remedial actions to deal with the issues that we had found,” Mahler said. He said that toxicology tests are still pending to determine the cause of death, including the possibility of carbon monoxide. “I can assure you, the families believe that we will do the right thing in terms of putting the information forward as we get the information,” he added.

The resort’s abrupt closure in early March was described by the family as ‘deeply alarming’ as they demand “a clear explanation for this action. We respectfully urge the resort’s management and Belizean authorities to share any information they have immediately.”