Parents whose 25-year-old son met a tragic and unclear end in the Dominican Republic last month, after falling from a balcony during a psychotic delirium, are keen to discover the cause of the tragedy.
“There are too many businesses that don’t work,” breathes François Gareau, 58, who is trying to understand the fate of his only son.
On January 15, William Gareau was on vacation with his in-laws at the Grand Bahia Principe Ambar, in Punta Cana.
In the evening, the pharmaceutical representative allegedly consumed alcohol in a bar in the seaside resort, with his girlfriend and his brother-in-law.
Their evening would have ended around midnight. From there, everything is blurry.
Worrying remarks
Returning to their respective rooms, the two young men made incoherent and worrying comments. One fell asleep. Not the other.
Confused, William reportedly shouted, “HELP!” by knocking on the rooms. Frightened, his girlfriend who no longer recognized him took refuge with a neighboring tourist.
Then, security guards allegedly found William sleeping in the corridor.
They would have taken him to his room, according to what was reported to the parents.
Shortly after, their son was lying on the ground, three floors below.
Place where William is said to have fallen three floors on the night of January 16, at Grand Bahia Principe Ambar, in the Dominican Republic.
“Photo courtesy of Sylvie Marcotte”
“Do not let go”
Sylvie Marcotte learned in the middle of the night that her son had fallen during a call from his panicked girlfriend.
The hospital services requested a transfer of $35,000 to transfer William from the hospital to undergo surgery. The other establishment was located 2.5 hours away.
Worried, the 52-year-old lady complied. She then took the first flight.
“His girlfriend put her cell to his ear. I said: ”Will, don’t give up, I’m coming. I will take care of you. I love you,” she says, still in shock.
Sadly, William died of a heart attack before arriving at the hospital.
For his part, his brother-in-law only woke up at 4 p.m. that day, also affected by their mysterious consumption.
Without answer
Since then, the parents of the young Quebecer have been haunted by questions.
Did William drink adulterated alcohol? Was he drugged? Did he do drugs himself? Was there negligence?
Why wasn’t he taken to the infirmary or taken care of sooner?
“What happened? I-DON’T-KNOW-IT, laments Mme Marcotte. We may never have an explanation.”
William with his mother, Sylvie Marcotte, during their last vacation together, last December
“Photo courtesy of Sylvie Marcotte”
“If he was drugged, it’s a sort of murder,” alleges François Gareau, who does not believe that alcohol could have shaken his tall, 6-foot-3-inch man in such a way.
So, determined to demystify the death of their son, the residents of Longueuil are appealing to anyone who could help them find out more.
“We have no support from the Embassy. And the Coroner’s Office says it does not conduct investigations abroad,” laments Sylvie Marcotte.
“We are trying to obtain a police report. But, is there one, first of all?” she asks herself, unable to get clear feedback from the authorities.
A unifier
To add to their pain, bogus sites that appear to be generated by artificial intelligence report falsehoods. In particular, William died in an accident at Pierre-Elliot Trudeau Airport.
“It’s hard,” says Mme Marcotte.
She and her husband nevertheless want to honor William’s memory.
“He was a unifier. He had lots of friends. He smiled all the time. He loved life, confides his mother. He was a lover of language. He never made a mistake.”
“What causes me the most distress is imagining it in eight or 10 years,” saddens Mr. Gareau.