Found Deceased Dominican Republic - Orlando Moore & Portia Ravenelle, from NY on vacation, April 2019

[osu]

@osu would you mind checking the JetBlue 2:23am flight on the same date, 27th, please? Was that one delayed?

I tried and I can find that JetBlue flight to Newark (EWR) but for some reason I’m unable to pull it up on that site that I posted earlier for any details.
Maybe someone else might have better luck with it.

 

[osu]

I think this is as likely as anything and it could have been a hit and it could have been them trying to avoid someone on them.

I go back though to the more than one time statement that the fishermen heard a crash on the highway. That is, if we can trust that statement.

Frustrating.

IIRC, in one of the first news reports from the fisherman, they described it as hearing a “roaring” sound.

 

[acutename]

There are a number of conflicting statements written depending on which article you read. I think his body floated out of the car (roof possibly shorn off on impact in the water) and washed up on shore a number of miles away.

It was not found in the car.

13 miles away in Sans Souci on Mar 31... partly eaten by fish

 

[bradfordsleuth]

I think this is as likely as anything and it could have been a hit and it could have been them trying to avoid someone on them.

I go back though to the more than one time statement that the fishermen heard a crash on the highway. That is, if we can trust that statement.

Frustrating.

I also recall reading very early on that fishermen 'heard a rumble' on the hwy.
I will search for link.

ETA the link ( the statement is under of the pic of them on the horses):
New York couple missing in Dominican Republic are both believed to be dead

 

[?mysterian?]

I'm starting to think it could have been an accident caused by someone else. There needn't even have been contact if Orlando swerved suddenly and flipped the car. Surely road accident investigators should be able to determine exactly where the car came off the road (tyre marks, smashed glass, debris, flattened grass, broken branches, scraped rocks etc etc)

I've wondered about that possibilility. Low or no lighting, a tricky interchange, possibly having to slow down for the turns, seems like a prime spot for carjackers to wait, especially for late-night tourists traveling to get to the airport from the north and unfamiliar with the roads.

 

[?mysterian?]

13 miles away in Sans Souci on Mar 31... partly eaten by fish

4 days in the ocean isn't good. It's amazing to me he was found at all.

 

[ilovechili]

IIRC, in one of the first news reports from the fisherman, they described it as hearing a “roaring” sound.

Yeah, that kind of relates to my "if one can believe that statement" as there have been many differing accounts. Recent ones have said they heard what sounded like a crash on the road. Yep. Who knows. If they want confusion, well I raise my hand to say I am confused and frustrated. Today we had articles saying he was in the car when it was pulled up and that she was found 12 hours after their flight on the roadway...

I cannot imagine the families and what they are dealing with. It is grossly unfair that accounts are not accurate on top of the grief they are already dealing with. imo.

 

[bradfordsleuth]

I wonder how many motorcycles it would take to sound like 'roaring' or 'rumbling' from the highway to the fishermen?

Edited to add in rumbling.

 

[human]

If there was a crash, where is the other vehicle?

One time when we were in Puerto Rica, we met some people who had a hilarious story of their rental car GPS telling them they had arrived at their luxury hotel.

They were in an area of burned oit hulks of cars.

Perhaps their GPS was not that good. Maybe they entered the wrong data.

Maybe the language was a barrier in entering data and reading road signs

 

[acutename]

I have wondered the same. This is a difficult case just because there is no familiarity with the area. Even if one has traveled there, they would not necessarily know the answer to what you just stated. I doubt many would know about lights, etc. as they do not travel at night. It makes it hard to be sure of much, in my opinion anyway.

We can google and all that but it is not the same as talking to someone who has lived there for instance. Then we get these conflicting news reports and it is pretty frustrating

there are Google reviews of the hospital. It is a regional trauma center associated with a University and most, but not all, people rank it fairly highly, but it is a government hospital so it serves everyone and private hospitals which are more expensive are considered preferable and more responsive.

 

[bradfordsleuth]

I've wondered about that possibilility. Low or no lighting, a tricky interchange, possibly having to slow down for the turns, seems like a prime spot for carjackers to wait, especially for late-night tourists traveling to get to the airport from the north and unfamiliar with the roads.

I am wondering if they bought any expensive jewelery while they were there? A diamond ring perhaps?

 

[osu]

There are a number of conflicting statements written depending on which article you read. I think his body floated out of the car (roof possibly shorn off on impact in the water) and washed up on shore a number of miles away.

It was not found in the car.

And in the NBC news posted earlier, the interview with a man who lived nearby the crash site said he spotted a corpse and alerted the authorities? Was he referring to Orlando’s body and if so was he in the water near the crash site? So confusing.

 

[?mysterian?]

there are Google reviews of the hospital. It is a regional trauma center associated with a University and most, but not all, people rank it fairly highly, but it is a government hospital so it serves everyone and private hospitals which are more expensive are considered preferable and more responsive.

If she was unresponsive when found, she couldn't state a preference for a hospital, even if she knew one. She'd be totally at the mercy of the pre-hospital responders, and have to go where they took her. IMO.

 

[?mysterian?]

If there was a crash, where is the other vehicle?

One time when we were in Puerto Rica, we met some people who had a hilarious story of their rental car GPS telling them they had arrived at their luxury hotel.

They were in an area of burned oit hulks of cars.

Perhaps their GPS was not that good. Maybe they entered the wrong data.

Maybe the language was a barrier in entering data and reading road signs

IF there was another vehicle involved, possibly it only had front-end damage and was still driveable, so driver could've gotten away.

 

[bradfordsleuth]

And in the NBC news posted earlier, the interview with a man who lived nearby the crash site said he spotted a corpse and alerted the authorities? Was he referring to Orlando’s body and if so was he in the water near the crash site? So confusing.

Something I read early on made me think that he was spotted in the water many miles away from the accident then later found washed on shore.

 

[acutename]

I think the tourism/government would care about crime that is directly linked to the bread and butter (hotels, resorts, high end restaurants) but not so much travel between the resort areas. Outside of high tourist dollar areas, I think little attention is paid to crime. I have students and friends who visit family in the cities and countryside of the DR. To a one, they say that you have to be careful at night, never travel alone, and look out for roving moped/motorcycle groups who smash and grab or attack in a group. While this was not the case as far as we know for this couple, there may be some connection to a robbery or other crime that they experienced but the information seems so cloudy and confusing that we will probably never know.

If I recall correctly, wasn't there a young man in the DR (Darryl Fornatora) whose friend left him behind. It has been thought he was killed (wallet washed ashore) but the DR police never really helped. I don't think solving crimes or putting attention on crimes is something the government wants. Here is his WS thread: Dominican Republic - Darryl Fornatora, 46, FL man missing, 28 Jan 2016

If Portia was blond and 20-30, I think the papers would have heard about it. Portia was an older woman and a woman of color. I think she was mistaken for a local and not much time and effort given to finding out more about her.

sadly, by the time she was found, PR may have looked awful after her injuries. No identifying documents with her; no car nearby. they might have thought she was homeless or already ill and hit by a car. they are saying that they did not want to take a picture of her to publish- maybe with a head injury she was bruised- black eyes? maybe she was not really recognizable.

 

[acutename]

A bit more digging into flights from DR-NY.
There are 2 other overnight flights, but with JetBlue to JFK, 2:23am and 4:49am
Wonder if they were trying to make one of those instead?

their departure car was at Newark (EWR), so not sure why they would go to JFK, IMO.

 

[osu]

Deleted

 

[osu]

Please delete if not allowed.

I ran across this old entry the other day from the travel site, Lonely Planet.

A person was asking about the drive from SDQ International Airport to Samana if they rent a car to drive there.
He was strongly advised that the route was only safe to drive during the daytime hours.

Driving in Dominican Republic (Mar 2009) | Americas - Caribbean - Lonely Planet Forum - Thorn Tree

 

[ilovechili]

IF there was another vehicle involved, possibly it only had front-end damage and was still driveable, so driver could've gotten away.

I agree, hit and runs are just that, no other vehicle found, the scene fled. I wonder if paint from another vehicle could even be found on that wreck of a car. I am surprised all of the paint job on the car itself is not gone.

It could also apply to hit, stop, rob, beat, assault, get rid of and gone. We have absolutely no time line for anything. Not that is verified.

I have been spending time digging beyond the standard warnings for the DR. It has turned me back to a direction of now more questions rather than fewer.

Not to mention we do not even have any idea who had control of their vehicle before they were found allegedly injured and dead.

If this is truly an accident with no one and nothing else involved and they know that and have no doubt, then there really is no basis to not back it up and provide documentation of what they can. imo anyways.