This post examines the strange circumstances surrounding the drownings of 2 young adults in Mexico.
Victims & Timeline
Abbey Conner, 20, deceased: January 12, 2017
Austin Conner, 22, injured: January, 2017*
*exact date unknown, but sometime prior to January 12th
The Drownings
In early January, 2017, Abbey, Austin, and their mother and stepfather, Ginny and John McGowan, arrived at a 5-star resort in Mexico. The family was traveling from Wisconsin, looking forward to escaping the winter weather. After settling in their rooms, Abbey and Austin headed for the nearby pool and raised glasses in celebration of the end of the school semester at a swim-up bar, downing “a couple shots of tequila.” Ginny and John then joined Abbey and Conner and the family went for a short walk on the beach. Upon their return to the pool area, Ginny ordered a strawberry margarita and she and John watched the kids swim.
Around 5:30pm/5:45pm, Ginny and John headed back to their room to get changed for dinner. The party of four agreed to meet in the lobby at 7pm for dinner.
7pm rolled around and, as Ginny and John waited in the lobby, they noted music blaring and several people dancing in the lobby. Around 7:30pm, when Abbey and Austin had not arrived, Ginny became increasingly concerned and asked hotel staff to ring the kids’ room, figuring that, perhaps, the one-hour time difference between Wisconsin and Mexico had confused them. The receptionist summoned a manager who told Ginny that there had been an accident and she needed to get her husband immediately. Abbey and Austin were at a hospital; they had been discovered, face-down, at the bottom of the pool.
Injuries
Upon arriving at Hospiten Riviera Maya, Ginny and John were informed that Austin 
suffered a severe concussion and had a golf-ball sized lump on his forehead. He was sedated but his condition was stable and he was expected to survive. Abbey, on the other hand, was on a ventilator and was unresponsive to stimuli. Her collarbone was broken and she had suffered a devastating lack of oxygen to her brain. On January 12, 2017, Abbey was taken off life support and her organs were donated.
Toxicology results showed that Austin had a blood-alcohol level of 0.26 — more than 3 times the threshold for “impairment” back home in Wisconsin. Abbey’s blood-alcohol level was 0.25. Given Abbey’s weight and height, she would have needed to consume about 7 shots in an hour’s time in order to achieve that blood-alcohol level.
Austin’s Recollections
The last thing Austin remembered was talking to a couple at the poolside bar and that a group of young men were nearby drinking and doing flips into the pool. The group invited Abbey and Austin to join them in a shot of something that resembled a Jagerbomb (a mix of Jagermeister and Red Bull), although Austin did not know what was actually in the shot. That was the last thing he recalled. He admits that he and Abbey had already consumed 4-5 shots of tequila prior. He then recalled waking up in the ambulance, but nothing in the interim.
Austin admits that he and Abbey had smoked marijuana in the U.S. while on their way to Mexico but denies smoking any marijuana or consuming any other drugs while in Mexico. Austin states “I’ve been in college for five years and had my fair share of drinks before. No way in hell I’m putting my face down in a pool and going to sleep.” By all accounts, Abbey and Austin were both strong swimmers, having grown up on Pewaukee Lake. Austin stands at 6’2″ and 155lbs and states that he did not feel inebriated and that he and Abbey were not trying to get drunk as they were soon to meet their parents for dinner.
Similar Incidents
Two years earlier, in January 2015, a couple celebrating their 13-year anniversary at nearby Iberostar Paraiso Maya, experienced a similar incident. The woman states she had 2 mixed drinks from the hotel bar and her husband consumed 3 beers. They recall talking with a couple who said they were from Oregon and the group ordered another drink together. Within a few minutes, the woman began feeling unwell and recalls seeing spots before blacking out. She then ‘came to’ on the bathroom floor and vomited. The next thing either of them remembered was waking in their hotel room 5 hours later — with the man’s hand broken. Their belongings were still on the beach and nothing was stolen from their hotel room.
On July 9, 2017, a man named Russ claimed that his wife was drugged at the Iberostar Paraiso Maya, while the family was on vacation celebrating their daughter’s graduation from high school. Russ states that just prior to blacking out and becoming ‘violently ill’ his wife was talking with a man who said he was from South America and vacationing with his wife and kids. Russ claims he saw the wife at some point during the exchange.
Several further incidents can be read about here: http://mexicovacationawareness.com/mexicostory.html
Questions & Inconsistencies
- Austin states that he and Abbey were not trying to get drunk and, yet, he admits they voluntarily downed 4-5 shots of tequila plus the Jagerbomb plus smoked some pot. The siblings had just left on vacation and were looking to relax. I don’t know about you but if I did 5 shots of tequila in less than an hour’s time plus a shot of Jagermeister, I’d be expecting to get drunk.
- According to the blood test results, Abbey and Connor consumed a large quantity of alcohol in an hour’s time — Abbey as many as 7 shots, or a frequency of more than one shot every 10 minutes. To achieve his 0.26 blood alcohol level, Austin would have needed to consume even more than this. So, either they were drinking heavily or….what? Someone spiked their drinks? The alcohol was stronger at the resort than the alcohol in Wisconsin?
- Why were there no witnesses to what happened? Was there a cover-up or did no one see what happened?
Theory: A Little Bit of Everything
Austin and Abbey were drinking heavily. They may have consumed alcohol on their flight — we know they smoked marijuana during their travel to Mexico. Regardless of whether or not they were drugged, I believe it’s clear Austin and Abbey were looking to let loose and party. The accuracy of Austin’s recollections about how much alcohol they consumed is likely either the result of an alcohol-induced blackout, his concussion, or a guilty conscience since their heavy imbibing may have contributed to his sister’s death. Perhaps a combination of all 3.
There are rumors that the alcohol in Mexico is somehow tainted or stronger than the alcohol in the states. This would account for the similar incidents reported in nearby resorts. It would also account for Austin’s confusion over what happened. This sounds like a guy who likes to party and, perhaps, has partied a lot. But, something took him by surprise. Perhaps there IS something to the rumors that the alcohol in Mexico — especially in Mexican resorts — is somehow ‘off.’
Alternate Endings
- At some point, while drinking heavily, Abbey became compromised and began to drown. Seeing his sister at the bottom of the pool, Austin dove in to save her, not realizing the shallow depth in his inebriated state. Austin hit his head on the pool bottom, causing the lump and concussion, and lost consciousness. Pool staff or another witness saw Austin’s shallow dive and, at that time, also saw Abbey at the bottom of the pool and pulled them both from the water. Therefore, Austin was not underwater as long as his sister. Perhaps management sought to coverup witnessing Austin’s shallow dive as they did not want to be saddled with responsibility for over-indulging the siblings with too much alcohol, thus leading to their injuries and death. Abbey’s collarbone was cracked as either an injury sustained while drowning or when hotel staff administered CPR.
- An alternate possibility is that one of them began drowning and the other rushed in to save him or her, becoming overpowered and succumbing to drowning as well. This would also account for their various injuries. It is common for rescuers to drown with the original victim when becoming overwhelmed by the situation. This would also account for why there were no witnesses to what happened — drownings tend to be silent and without fanfare. If staff and patrons were otherwise occupied in what they were doing, and especially if there were a lot of people in or near the pool at the time, Abbey and Austin’s drownings could easily have gone unnoticed.
- A third possible explanation is that both Abbey and Austin dove simultaneously into the water — perhaps doing flips with the crowd that was there or a synchronized head-first dive. Given that the pool depth was 4-feet deep and they were highly intoxicated, Austin hit his head on the pool edge or bottom and Abbey cracked her collarbone in the process.
Clarity
I believe the hotel’s attempts to CYA have added more “mystery” to this case than reality warrants. Because the hotel’s management was largely uncooperative and did not seek out witnesses, more questions about the circumstances of the drownings were raised than answered. Additionally, there may have been other circumstances that led to Abbey and Austin becoming inebriated far faster than they were used to — they had smoked marijuana earlier in the day, may have had empty stomachs as they were preparing to go to dinner, were dehydrated from traveling and entering the substantially warmer climate, the drinks were free and flowing at the all-inclusive resort, and there are long-standing rumors of ‘tainted’ alcohol similar resorts.
The incidents at nearby Mexican resorts can be explained with similar reasoning. Perhaps some of those people were drugged, but I don’t see any evidence that Abbey and Austin were. If Abbey and Austin were drugged, what was the motive? Nothing was stolen from them, they were not sexually-assaulted, no one was present who had a personal vendetta against them. The only scenario which would make even an ounce of sense would be if they had large life insurance policies and someone was hired to make it look like an accident. But, I have read nothing about life insurance policies on them. Further, the family, including their biological father, appear substantially and authentically traumatized and grief-stricken by the incident. The only ‘motive,’ per se, that I could envision is one in which cheaper, higher proof alcohols were supplied through nefarious means to get tourists more drunk at a cheaper rate.
Drunk tourists = more money. Cheap alcohol = more money.
Some theorize that Abbey and Austin were drugged and then physically-assaulted by a shady couple who frequents Mexican resorts to chat up, drug, and drown other couples. I find this far-fetched. What is the motive? To get their kicks? That’s a pretty high-risk endeavor for the supposed perpetrators for what appears to be pretty little gain. If this mystery couple has attacked multiple travelers over the years, why drown some but gently return others to their hotel room? What is their end game? It just doesn’t make sense. The common thread in all of these stories is consumption of alcohol.
Abbey and Austin were tested for various drugs and nothing was found in the results. There was no evidence of them having been slipped a roofie or benzo or sedative. Sometimes, the simplest explanation is the most likely. Perhaps Abbey and Austin were looking to party and have a good time. Perhaps they drank a lot in under an hour. And, perhaps that alcohol was stronger than they bargained for. Either way, what a loss. May Abbey rest in peace and may Austin find peace.
Update: January, 2018
An investigation by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published in July, 2017 found that dozens of travelers were reporting blackout and violent illness after consuming small to moderate amounts of alcohol while at Mexican all-inclusive resorts. Some travelers also reported getting robbed or being sexually-assaulted. Many of the travelers reported being charged huge amounts of money for being taken to the hospital for their alcohol-related injuries or illnesses.
Three weeks after the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published its report, authorities raided various resorts, clubs, bars, and restaurants throughout Mexico, seizing illegal bootleg alcohol primarily in Cancun and Playa del Carmen as well as shutting down operations at the Iberostar Paraiso Maya lobby bar (the same bar where the January, 2015 incident occurred). Euromonitor International reports that as much as 36% of the alcohol consumed in Mexico is illegal or bootleg and, therefore, may be potentially lethal.
Maureen Webster’s son, Nolan, aged 22, drown in a pool in Mexico just over 10 years ago. She now devotes her spare time to trying to educate others about the potential dangers of bootleg alcohol at Mexican resorts via her website: MexicoVacationAwareness.com