Georgia Man Becomes 11th American Confirmed Dead In DR

A Georgia man is the latest American to be confirmed dead in the Dominican Republic.

This past Sunday, the State Department announced the death of another American tourist, 31-year-old Tracy Jerome Jester Jr, who visited the Dominican Republic and allegedly died of “respiratory illness” in March. He is the 11th American to die in the Caribbean country this year. The man died a day after he had just gone sightseeing with his sister. No details on where the man stayed during his trip have been released.

“We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in the Dominican Republic in March 2019,” a state department spokesperson told ABC News in a statement Sunday. “We offer our sincerest condolences to the family for their loss. Out of respect for the family during this difficult time, we do not have additional information to provide.” Jester’s family is looking for more answers in regards to his death. “They had a good day. Saturday, they went out, they explored. They said they had a good day,” Jester’s mother, Melody Moore, told WSB-TV.

Moore says Jester seemed okay when she spoke to him after the day trip, but around 3:30 a.m. the next day, Jester’s sister called Moore, “and she told me he was calling her saying he couldn’t breathe, just saying, ‘Mama I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe.” Jester’s sister tried to phone medical officials, but police say it was too late. Jester reportedly suffered from Lupus, but officials have not confirmed if his illness was related to his death.

“Being a mom, I want to go to where he was, where he died at last. Something is wrong; my son is gone. Something is really wrong,” Moore said. “As a mother, you’re not there when your son takes his last breath. That hurts, and I mean, you’ve got so many questions.” Jester’s is the 11th American to die after traveling to the Dominican Republic in 2019 and the 14th person to have died in the country since June 2018.