Friends, family of 3 American women who died at Belize beach resort cast doubt on possible overdose theory

Family and friends of the three young American women found dead at a Belize beach resort over the weekend expressed doubts that the trio overdosed as suggested by local police in the Central American country.

Loved ones of Kaoutar Naqqad, 23; Imane Mallah, 24; and Wafae El-Arar, 26, remembered the friends as cherished, respectful and valued members of their Revere, Massachusetts community at a vigil Tuesday.

Several attendees said the reports theorizing that the pals overdosed didn’t match the women they knew and loved and slammed Belize authorities for an alleged lack of transparency, according to WCVB.

A friend of all three women said Mallah, who she had known since she was 7 years old, was not into partying and drinking.

“It’s very frustrating because when you hear possible OD, automatically you attribute characteristics to that person, but that could be the farthest thing from the truth,” Hajar El Khalfaoui said, according to the Boston-based news station.

“When I graduated, Imane didn’t want me to go to a party, she said she didn’t want to go because there would be drinking there. That was the kind of person she was. So when they said that it was OD, I will never believe that was true.”

Authorities have not released an official cause of death as they await the results of an autopsy for each woman, but Belize police said they found alcohol and gummies in the friends’ room at the Royal Kahal Beach Resort in San Pedro.

Resort staffers entered the room and found the women unresponsive on Saturday after all three did not respond to employees’ repeated attempts to contact them. The friends, who were on vacation, hadn’t been seen since heading into the room the night prior.

Their bodies showed no signs of external injuries and vomit was found near each of the women, according to Belize Police Commissioner Chester Williams.

Another vigil attendee echoed Khalfaoui’s staunch stance that an overdose doesn’t sound right.

“They’re respectful, they wouldn’t do the stuff that people are saying they would,” Destiny Borges-Kelley said, according to WCVB. “They all were growing in life, they had plans.”

Mallah’s heartbroken mother, Zineb Elghilani, said her daughter was “always happy, with a smiley face, friendly with people and humble” during the vigil.

Naqqad’s landlord and neighbor, Revere City Councilor Ira Novoselsky, accused Belize authorities of blowing off a community desperate for answers.

“We’re getting stonewalled, you know Belize people are just saying their side of the story, but I’m sure there’s more to it,” Novoselsky said.

Revere Mayor Patrick Keefe Jr. said he is working to get more answers from Belize officials and offered his condolences to the women’s families.

“These are daughters, friends, and contributors to our city, and I have heard widespread concern from the families and community members about the lack of transparency in this investigation, and the media narrative painted by Belizean authorities,” Keefe said in the statement.

“I have been in contact with members of our federal delegation, including Senator Ed Markey and Whip Katherine Clark, and we will be working lockstep to bring answers to these families and their communities.”

The US State Department said it is also looking into the women’s deaths.

“We are closely monitoring this case and are in touch with and collaborating closely with the local authorities’ investigation into the deaths,” the department said in a statement.

In addition to conducting autopsies on each of the women, investigators in Belize are testing the alcohol and gummies found in the hotel room and are probing whether carbon monoxide could have been a factor in their deaths.

While she waits for answers, Khalfaoui said she’ll never stop loving her dear friends.

“Wafae, Imane and Kaoutar were some of the best people I’ve known,” she said at the vigil. “They were so loved and cherished in this community. It’s a tragedy; everybody has grown up with these girls. If you hear their names and you hear their story, please make a prayer for them.”