They look like picture-perfect escapes: turquoise waters, palm-fringed beaches and the promise of sun-soaked relaxation just a short flight from the US mainland.
But for an alarming number of American tourists, vacations to The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands have ended in tragedy.
From murder and gun violence to suspicious deaths, road accidents and botched investigations, an alarming pattern of danger is emerging in two of the region’s most popular, and perilous, tourist hotspots.
In April, the US State Department issued a Level 2 Travel Advisory – the same level currently in place for Mexico and Colombia – for both destinations, warning Americans to ‘exercise increased caution due to crime.’ And with good reason.
The past year has seen a disturbing number of deaths and serious injuries among American visitors to The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos.
The cases are as heartbreaking as they are haunting.
Dinari McAlmont, a 23-year-old from Bowie, Maryland, was found on a Paradise Island, Bahamas, beach in April. He reportedly drowned, though his mom says she doesn’t believe the official account.
Gaurav Jaisingh, a 22-year-old Indian-American Bentley University student from Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, died after falling from a hotel balcony in The Bahamas in May, days before his graduation.
The picturesque palm-fringed beaches of the Turks and Caicos islands mask high rates of poverty, crime and lawlessness
Summer Layman, 24, and Rileigh Decker, 20, survived a terrifying shark attack in The Bahamas in February
Layman and Decker were treated for their shark bite injuries after being evacuated to Florida
Summer Layman, 24, and Rileigh Decker, 20, were paddling in the tropical waters of Bimini Bay in The Bahamas in February when they were both bitten during a terrifying shark attack.
Stewardess Paige Bell, 20, was found dead aboard a superyacht moored in The Bahamas’ Harbour Island this month. A fellow crew member is accused of murdering the South African.
Cook County sheriff’s deputy Shamone Duncan, 50, was killed by a stray bullet while celebrating her sister’s 40th birthday on a rooftop bar in Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos, in January.
New Yorker Brian Tarrence, 51, went missing during a romantic anniversary getaway to Turks and Caicos with his wife, Maria, in June.
A decomposing body believed to be Tarrence was discovered on July 5 – an investigation is ongoing.
These are not isolated incidents, they are the tip of a worrying iceberg, raising urgent questions about safety, governance and justice in two countries increasingly reliant on foreign visitors.
Behind the glossy travel brochures and influencer reels lies a harsh reality: poverty, inequality, and spiking crime rates, especially in urban centers like Nassau and Providenciales.
Locals and experts say tourism-fueled wealth has widened the gulf between rich and poor, while overstretched police forces struggle to cope with gang violence, drugs and corruption.
Michael Brown, a former DEA agent, says the wider Caribbean region has, in recent years, become ‘one of the largest drug hubs in the Western Hemisphere.’
‘It’s also one of the best places – if not the best place in the world – to launder drug proceeds and create offshore accounts,’ Brown told Fox News.
‘Although it’s a nice place to vacation, many of the islands have been compromised.’
The drug gangs are understood to arm themselves from an influx of weapons smuggled illegally from the US, where they can be bought legally and with relative ease.
Stewardess Paige Bell, 20, was found dead aboard a superyacht moored in The Bahamas’ Harbour Island in July
Marylander Dinari McAlmont, 23, was found drowned on a beach on Paradise Island, in The Bahamas, in April
Massachusetts student Gaurav Jaisingh, 22, died after falling from a hotel balcony in The Bahamas in May, days before his graduation
Recent data from the Royal Bahamas Police Force shows a sharp increase in violent crime – including murders, armed robberies and sexual assaults.
The former British colony recorded 120 murders in 2024, a 9 percent rise on the 110 homicides in 2023.
Turks and Caicos, once seen as quieter and safer, has also seen a spike in murders.
The British Overseas Territory has even been dubbed among the ‘most dangerous’ destinations on the planet.
Investigations into tourist deaths are often slow, opaque or inconclusive, leaving grieving families with few answers and no justice.
Three months after McAlmont drowned on Paradise Island, his mother, Michelle Bacchus-McAlmont, says she still seeks clarity and closure, despite authorities having ruled out foul play in his death.
The young man was vacationing with his parents when he was found unresponsive on the beach early on April 5.
According to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, a post-mortem examination determined the cause of death was drowning.
Despite the official findings, Bacchus-McAlmont says she feels left in the dark about her son’s final hours and has expressed frustration with what she describes as poor communication from Bahamian authorities.
‘No, I haven’t had any updates from the Bahamas authorities,’ she told The Tribune this month, adding that repeated attempts to reach investigators had gone unanswered.
She remains troubled by injuries she saw on her son during a brief viewing and has yet to receive his sneakers, clothing and other personal items.
The bereaved mom also wants investigators to study surveillance footage at the Atlantis resort, where they were staying, to confirm the timeline of events leading to his death.
‘By now, at least they should have given me an update,’ she said.
Chicago sheriff’s deputy Shamone Duncan, 50, was killed in a freak accident in Turks and Caicos, in January
Brian Tarrence, 51, went missing during a romantic anniversary getaway to Turks and Caicos with his wife, Maria, in June
Bahamian tour operators last year reported significant declines in business as tourists were scared by reports of crime
Travelers are urged to remain alert, avoid isolated areas, especially after dark, and stay within secured resort properties whenever possible.
‘Violent crime, such as burglaries, armed robberies and sexual assaults, is common,’ reads the advisory for The Bahamas.
For Turks and Caicos, the US authority warns, ‘Exercise increased caution due to crime… police may have limited investigatory resources.’
The warnings haven’t gone unnoticed by wary tourists.
Bahamian tour operators last year reported significant declines in business, with some estimating a 50 percent drop as tourists expressed fear of venturing beyond their hotels or cruise ships.
Others have simply cancelled their flights when they see the travel alerts.
Tourism brings billions of dollars into the Bahamian and Turks and Caicos economies every year – and critics say it’s time the islands take safety more seriously.
There are growing calls for more transparent investigations into tourist deaths and assaults, better-trained police and clear protocols for communicating with foreign families hit by tragedy.
Until then, the dream of a worry-free island getaway may remain just that, a dream.
Brown, a counter-narcotics expert at Rigaku Analytical Devices, says tourists need to watch their backs and avoid partying too hard.
‘Especially for young women, these areas, these resorts are where predators will look for unsuspecting individuals,’ Brown said.
They ‘may be drinking too much, they may choose the use of narcotics, their guard has been let down – the risk, to some extent, is the same.’
