Mom of four, 38, latest to die suddenly on Dominican Republic vacation

A New York woman in her 30s died while on vacation to the Dominican Republic, the latest report of now more than a dozen American tourists who died under questionable circumstances in the last year.

The family of Donette Edge Cannon, 38, of Queens, told the New York Post that the “vibrant” owner of a catering business died after suffering from a mysterious stomach illness.

Joined by relatives, Cannon reportedly visited the Sunscape Bávaro Beach Punta Cana in May 2018, and did not return home. Several others in the group experienced mild stomach distress on the trip, but Cannon, who was a diabetic and received dialysis, became severely ill and did not survive despite emergency medical treatment.

The woman was reportedly in good health for the first four days of the trip, and was “posting videos to show how much fun she was having,” her sister, Candace Edge Johnson, told the New York Post.

Initially, Cannon and were companions were not seriously concerned about the stomach distress experienced by some members of the group.

“For us, throughout the trip, we kept using the bathroom,” Johnson said. “We went to a restaurant in the same condition, anytime we ate we were using the bathroom.”

But on the final night of the trip, after the group had an enjoyable night out dancing, Cannon became severely sick in her hotel room, with vomiting and diarrhea. When her symptoms did not improve, her family decided to seek medical attention the next morning — and that is when Cannon’s condition took a more serious turn for the worse.

My cousin said, ‘It’s getting worse. I’m going to have the medics come and check her out,’” Johnson said. “Once they got to the room, she fell unconscious and they took her to the hospital.”

Despite being told of her kidney condition, emergency responders transported Cannon to a hospital without giving her access to a dialysis machine, her sister said, and as Cannon’s condition declined, hospital staff reportedly told the family it was too late to bring her to another hospital where she could have dialysis.

“They basically let her die on the table,” Johnson said.

A medical examination in the Dominican Republic reportedly found that Cannon died of kidney failure.

“Their conclusion was renal failure, but it never addressed what initially got her sick in the first place,” Johnson told the newspaper.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, the FBI is working with authorities in the Dominican Republic to conduct toxicology tests of at least three of the American tourists who died there in recent months.