SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Samples taken from three vacationers from Tennessee and Florida who died at a resort within the Bahamas underneath mysterious circumstances have been despatched to a lab within the U.S. to expedite outcomes and assist authorities perceive what occurred, officers stated Monday.

The police commissioner of the Bahamas, Paul Rolle, stated officers additionally collected samples from the rooms the place the vacationers have been staying and the encircling property to find out whether or not any contaminants have been current.

“We actually wish to know what precipitated this,” he stated.

MORE: Police identify 3 US vacationers discovered useless at Bahamas Sandals resort

He recognized the victims as a married couple from Tennessee, Michael Phillips, 68, and Robbie Phillips, 65, and a resident of Florida, Vincent Paul Chiarella, 64. Rolle declined to supply their hometowns.

Chiarella’s spouse, Donnis, was flown to a hospital in Florida and remained in critical situation, Rolle stated.

Their our bodies have been discovered Friday morning on the Sandals Emerald Bay resort in Exuma, the place the {couples} had been staying in two separate villas.

The Phillipses apparently owned an organization referred to as Royal Journey, and Robbie Phillips, who referred to as herself “The Sand Woman,” specialised in arranging journeys to Sandals resorts. She posted photographs of the resort’s seashore on her Fb web page Thursday, saying she was there along with her husband.

The couple had three youngsters and 6 grandchildren, in keeping with the corporate web site.

The samples taken from the victims have been despatched to a lab in Philadelphia, with outcomes of the toxicology research anticipated in a couple of week, Rolle stated. He famous that the Bahamas’ Division of Environmental Well being and law enforcement officials are nonetheless on the resort.

When requested what he thinks might need precipitated the vacationers’ deaths, Rolle stated: “I am not going to take a position.”

He famous that each one 4 vacationers went to a health care provider the night time earlier than their our bodies have been found they usually had complained of feeling in poor health. He stated they went at totally different occasions and had eaten various things.

In the meantime, Sandals Resorts stated it could not remark additional past its unique assertion, which famous that it’s supporting the investigation and the households of these affected.

“Out of respect for the privateness of our visitors, we can not disclose additional info presently,” the corporate stated.

In Washington, State Division spokesman Ned Worth additionally confirmed three Americans had died and supplied “heartfelt condolences to the households and the opposite family members of those that have handed.

“We’re intently monitoring native authorities’ investigations into the reason for loss of life, and we stand prepared to supply all applicable consular help,” he added.

The deaths come seven years after a Delaware household grew to become critically in poor health at a resort within the U.S. Virgin Islands. U.S. authorities decided that methyl bromide, a extremely poisonous pesticide banned for indoor residential use in 1984, was in charge and had been used at that resort a number of occasions.

___

Related Press reporter Michael Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey, contributed.