On Friday (May 6), three Americans were discovered dead in their room at Sandals Emerald Bay, in The Bahamas.

Another has been hospitalised and is believed to be paralysed.

Both Sandals and government officials have ruled out foul play.

So, what led to these mysterious deaths?

Nothing can be determined until the autopsy reports can provide a clearer picture.

Guests in adjoining villas are speculating that gases emitted from the A/C units were toxic and led to their deaths.

COMPLAINT OF ILLNESS A DAY BEFORE

Then there is speculation that a substance called ‘freon’, widely used by hotels to regulate room temperatures, proved toxic and killed the American visitors.

But if that was the case, wouldn’t  it have proved as equally deadly to many other guests at Sandals Emerald Bay?

It has been reported that there was a complaint of illness a day before the bodies were found slumped in their rooms.

It is indeed a curious case of death of Americans at Sandals in The Bahamas.

Some Bahamians have raised the issue of drug use by guests and, in particular, cocaine but there is no evidence of this to date in this instance. Speculation abounds.

What other connections are there among these four people? Did they all know each other? Did they dine together, go out visiting attractions? Were there food allergies? Were they all smokers?

What remains unclear is how they died.

Sandals issued a statement which read: “A health emergency was initially reported and, following our protocols, we immediately alerted emergency medical professionals and relevant local authorities.”

In two cases there were signs of convulsion which would lead one to assume the dead Americans ingested something.

The faulty air conditioner leaking a toxic substance may very well play into that narrative but is by no means conclusive.

What is known is that the husband, Vincent Chiarella, and his wife Donnis, were in their 60s.

OTHER IDENTITIES NOT YET REVEALED

The names of the other two have not been revealed.

Nothing has been reported on the state of their health nor their respective lifestyles.

It has yet to be confirmed whether Sandals did use Freon as a refrigerant in its A/C units and, if so, whether this could have led to their deaths. Freon was used many years ago in older A/C units and the technology has been subsequently updated.

Until a thorough investigation takes place, speculation will continue to proliferate.