Friday, February 7, 2025

Quintana Roo opens investigation into possible drugging of 2 US college students

The Quintana Roo Attorney General’s Office (FGE) said Friday that it has opened an investigation into the alleged drugging of two American tourists at a resort near Cancún.

Zara Hull and Kaylie Pitzer, both of whom are students at Oklahoma Christian University, became ill last Friday after consuming drinks at a pool bar at the resort where they were staying with their boyfriends.

Pitzer told Oklahoma’s News 9 she is certain that she and Hull were drugged as they both blacked out at the same time.

A Facebook post by Pitzer’s aunt indicates that were staying at Planet Hollywood Cancún, a resort on a narrow peninsular just north of Cancún in the municipality of Isla Mujeres.

Hull spent time in a hospital in Cancún before she was medevacked to Dallas, Texas.

News 9 reported that she and Pitzer were told by doctors in the U.S. that “they believe their drinks may have been spiked with synthetic fentanyl.”

Zara Hull and Kaylie Pitzer, two tourists who were allegedly drugged in Quintana Roo
U.S. college students Zara Hull (left) and Kaylie Pitzer (right) became severely ill at a resort near Cancún. (GoFundMe/Facebook)

The FGE said on social media on Friday that no formal complaint about the alleged drugging had been filed, but it opened an investigation after hearing about the allegations in the media.

“Via the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Drug Dealing, we immediately began investigations to shed light on the alleged intoxication of two women,” the office said.

The FGE didn’t identify the resort where the alleged drugging of the tourists took place. However, it did say that the “possible hotel” where it is alleged to have occurred is located in Costa Mujeres in the municipality of Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo.

The FGE also said it was committed to holding those responsible to account.

Planet Hollywood Cancún didn’t respond to Mexico News Daily’s requests for comment.

On Facebook, Pitzer’s aunt, Stephanie Pitzer, wrote:

“This shouldn’t have ever happened. Whoever did this or was involved needs to be brought to justice!!! Praying Planet Hollywood Cancún has record of who the server was that day and deals with them accordingly!!!”

In a post to Instagram on Thursday, Hull said she experienced her “worst nightmare on what was supposed to be my dream vacation.”

“I was heavily sedated and put on a ventilator and don’t remember three days of this nightmare,” she wrote.

“… I thought staying at a resort was the safest thing for me but it wasn’t. I have endured so much pain and fear the past few days. I am lucky to be able to be alive.”

Mexico News Daily 

2 COMMENTS

  1. During my approximately twelve years living in my condo in downtown Cancun, that actually did happen to me three times, two of which were, in fact, on Isla Mujeres. For the first few years I used take the local ferry over to the island at least once a week so I was quite familiar with the downtown area and the particular beach I used to walk to which was the most popular at that time. But there were, of course, other sides and many hotels with their own beaches and now many years later even more so. Both times, I just fell asleep and woke up not knowing what had happened. My money was gone but I never carried much and they had left enough for the ferry and a bus fare to my house. I once had an argument with the owner (who was European) of the beach restaurant where I had ordered a Margarita or two. Another time I had dinner at a restaurant farther north and suddenly felt weak and unable to leave. The personnel looked after me until I came to. Must have been an inside job because the management decided to kept my cheap watch from the U.S. and something else pending my return to pay for my dinner at my own convenience. Again, they made sure I had money for both the ferry and the bus to get home to my downtown Cancun neighborhood in Super Manzana 43. I was actually surprise that they returned the ransom when I eventually came back to pay my real “debt” which wasn’t a lot (and I recalled I already paid for my dinner). The third incident was downtown Cancun where as I walked out of a restaurant in the early evening (I had gone there for the first time only to listen to the Mariachis) my head was suddenly spinning and someone was following me and asked where I lived. I told him to leave me alone. As I crossed a familiar downtown Plaza I ran into the owner of a nearby posada where I used to rent a room when I first arrived in Cancun. He noticed my condition and brought me inside to sleep it off. All in all, I was very lucky to get away with it – THREE times. I used to walk all over and sometimes take a taxi to the supermarket or my Spanish classes downtown, or to Plazas and Malls in the Hotel Zone and then often spend the day at one of the many beaches. While I was always paying close attention to my surroundings, there were a few incidents from time to time that reminded me that it probably was not as safe as I thought. And first now I realize that I was very lucky indeed. Also, I never carried any ID – I should at least have made a copy of my US Passport or even my U.S. Mexican Passport just in case. Of course, I never carried a purse, just a beach bag and a denim vest with two small breast pockets for money and whatever. Apparently that worked pretty well twenty years ago but today is entirely different as I am told.

    I intended to say that I am very sorry to hear about what happened to the two young students during their visit to La Isla. It’s probably wise to be sure to book your vacation in a highly reputable hotel, especially on the island. That’s just my gut feeling and I personally know a few employees at fine hotels there, where all service personnel are carefully screened. There is a fierce competition in that entire area and hotels cannot afford to lose their good reputation. Hopefully, the MND will follow up on the investigation into this matter and let us know exactly what happened. The main thing is that the girls have recovered and that their boyfriends were there to make sure they got home safely.

Comments are closed.

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