A Canadian tourist’s body was found washed up on a beach within the Dominican Republic hours after he was reported missing in mid-June, and his family is asking for financial support to fly his stays back to Canada.
Dorian Christian MacDonald, 38, was discovered at about 4:15 a.m. local time on June 20 after reportedly going for a solo walk on the beach at about 2 a.m. the identical morning.
MacDonald was on vacation alone at a hotel in Puerto Plata on the north coast of the island when the fatal incident occurred.
A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, the federal government department charged with handling diplomatic affairs, told Global News it’s aware of the death of a Canadian citizen within the Dominican Republic.
“Consular officials are in touch with local authorities and are providing consular assistance to the family. On account of privacy considerations, no further information could also be disclosed,” the statement said.
Tara Mackenzie, a friend of MacDonald’s, who began a GoFundMe page on behalf of the victim’s family to cover funeral costs and expenses related to returning his body to his home in Nova Scotia, wrote that his death was a “drowning accident.”
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“Between flights, international paperwork, funeral coordination, preparation of his body, and all of the red tape, we’re a value of $10,000–$20,000 simply to get him back. And truthfully? We just want him out of that cold system and back where he belongs—with us,” Mackenzie wrote on the fundraising page.
“The world feels quite a bit quieter and an entire lot less vibrant just knowing he’s not a component of it.”
Mackenzie described MacDonald as a deeply loving person.
“Dorian handed out hugs, compliments and I really like you’s as freely as oxygen and at all times wanted and was willing to have fun any and all the pieces together—birthdays, holidays, babies, wins, losses, and whatever random Tuesday that gave the impression of it needed to be made a bit of bit more fun,” she wrote.
As of Monday, the GoFundMe has raised $38,000 toward its $40,000 goal.
In March, American student and tourist Sudiksha Konanki, who was also vacationing within the Dominican Republic, disappeared after spending a while within the ocean with one other tourist, Joshua Riibe.
Dominican authorities consider he was the last known person to see Konanki before her March 6 disappearance and withheld his passport for 10 days while he was being questioned. Riibe was granted a request for freedom on March 19 after a judge ruled that he could co-operate with the investigation without being detained.
Riibe, a former lifeguard, says he tried to avoid wasting Konanki’s life after they were hit by a barrage of waves while paddling waist-deep within the ocean together and dragged out to sea. He said he managed to pull her to shore but lost her when he began vomiting from swallowing sea water.
Authorities say they consider Konanki ultimately drowned.
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