iStock/Thinkstock(PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico) — A Wisconsin family is searching for answers after their 20-year-old daughter died under mysterious circumstances at a 5-star resort during a family vacation earlier this year in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.
Abbey Conner, 20, drowned this January after swimming with her brother, Austin Conner, 23, in chest-high water at the pool in the Iberostar Paraiso Resort.
Abbey Conner’s mother and step-father became concerned when the two adult children did not show up for dinner, and then eventually learned that both Abbey and Austin Conner had been taken to an emergency room 14 miles away, Bill Conner, their biological father who was not in Mexico at the time, told ABC News.
The hotel told the family that the two were found unconscious and face down in the pool, according to Bill Conner. Austin Conner suffered a concussion and Abbey Conner sustained a broken collar bone and was brain dead before succumbing to her injuries in a Florida hospital days later.
The brother said they had been drinking before their swim, and their blood alcohol level was around .25 — or three times the legal limit in their home state of Wisconsin.
Mexican officials ruled the incident an “accidental drowning,” but Abbey Conner’s family say that local police refuse to investigate further into what caused her death.
“Someone needs to be held responsible for this,” Bill Conner said. “It doesn’t make any sense, we’re lucky we didn’t lose both of our kids.”
“She was healthy, but for some reason she drowns in a pool. Waist deep… it’s unbelievable,” Bill Conner added.
The U.S. Department of State told ABC News they were “aware of the case,” and extended “sincere condolences to family and friends.” The Department of State said they were working to provide consular assistance but had no further comment, out of respect for the family.
Iberostar Paraiso Resort did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
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