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Coloradans Say They Got Sick At Dominican Republic Resort Where 3 Americans Died

(CBS4) - A couple from Colorado says they got sick in the Dominican Republic in the same resort where three American tourists died recently. A woman from Pennsylvania died on May 25 and a couple from Maryland died five days later. Preliminary autopsies revealed they all had fluid in their lungs but didn't list a cause of death.

Kaylynn Knull and Tom Schwander vacationed at the Grand Bahia Príncipe resort last year. They say there was a chemical smell in their room and they got very sick.

"Sweating ... dizzy, nauseous. Yeah. And abdominal cramping was the worst. That was the hardest symptom to deal with. It was just so much pain," Schwander told CNN.

Kaylynn Knull and Tom Schwander
(credit: CBS)

Doctors in Denver later came to suspect the couple was exposed to chemicals typically found in pesticides. Knull and Schwander -- who say they are still feeling symptoms from time to time and are worried about their future health -- filed a lawsuit earlier this year. That was before the deaths of Miranda Schaup-Werner, of Pennsylvania, and Edward Holmes and Cynthia Day, of Maryland.

Knull said she thinks their illnesses and the tourists' deaths must be related. She said she wants the resort to be clear about what led to the situations.

"Honestly, all I wanted was the chemical name. That is all I ever wanted. I could care less about the money. If I could save my own life later, and (Schwander), too. It's what happened to him, what happened to me. What is it that we can do at this point?" Knull also told CNN.

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