The family of a Maryland man found dead in the Bahamas while on a family vacation earlier this month is begging for “international help.”
Dinari McAlmont, 23, was discovered dead on April 6, just 12 hours after arriving at Paradise Island in Nassau. The Bahamas Royal Police Force ruled his death a drowning on April 9.
McAlmont’s aunt, Marcelle Bacchus, stated in an April 11 Facebook post that the victim’s body was meant to be released from a morgue on April 10, but was not due to a spelling error in his name.
“My sister is so frustrated,” Bacchus wrote. “She hasn’t seen her son yet.” Only a photo of his battered face in a folder, shown to her briefly on April 7.”
McAlmont’s mother, Michelle McAlmont, previously told Eyewitness News Bahamas that she thought her son had been beaten.
However, the Royal Bahamas Police Force stated in an April 9 press release stating Dinari McAlmont’s cause of death that “foul play is not suspected at this time.”
“A post-mortem examination was performed, and the pathologist’s findings revealed that the deceased died as a result of drowning,” the Royal Bahamas Police Force stated at the time.
Bacchus stated that her family is “afraid the evidence will disappear.”
“Please, we need some international help ASAP!!” she stated on Facebook.
The McAlmonts were staying at The Reef at Atlantis resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.
Dinari apparently left his parents after dinner to fetch a jacket when he vanished, and his parents filed a missing person report when they were unable to locate him using cellphone location data, according to Eyewitness News.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of one of our guests,” the resort said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Our prayers are with his family at this difficult moment. We are completely collaborating with the authorities throughout their investigation.”
The State Department has issued a Level 2 travel advisory for the Bahamas, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, the Netherlands Antilles, and Turks & Caicos.
The Level 2 Travel Advisory cautions tourists to “be aware of heightened risks to safety and security.”