By Afro Staff

A Black couple from Maryland was found dead in their resort room in the Dominican Republic, the U.S. State Department has announced.

Cynthia Day, 49, and Nathaniel Holmes, 63, were due to leave Bahía Príncipe Playa Nueva Romana on May 25. When they didn’t check out, a hotel employee went to their rooms and found them dead,  reportedly with “no signs of violence.” A bottle of heart medication was found nearby.

Local newspaper Diario Libre <https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/sucesos/uno-de-los-estadounidenses-hallados-muertos-en-hotel-de-la-romana-notifico-que-se-sentia-mal-de-salud-BL12917071> reported that Holmes had called down to the front desk the same morning, saying he felt ill. However, the couple reportedly declined treatment.

Friends and family of the engaged couple said they were enjoying their vacation and looking forward to their future as a married couple. Facebook posts by Holmes suggest the same. Several photos depict Day and Holmes kissing, hugging, interacting with local wildlife and the like. Holmes even said in one post, “Can somebody please loan me $250,000 bcuz I don’t want to come home!!!!!”

The couple’s demise come months after another African-American couple died under questionable circumstances in the tourist spot and after another American vacationer claimed she was attacked by a hotel employee.

In April the State Department even issued an advisory <https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/dominican-republic-travel-advisory.html> urging Americans to “exercise increased caution” when traveling to the country “due to crime.”

This article originally appeared in The Afro. 

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