A Canadian tourist, Dorian Christian MacDonald, tragically lost his life in a drowning incident at a resort in the Dominican Republic last week. MacDonald, 38, was on a solo trip to the northern coast of the Caribbean Island and was last spotted strolling along the beaches of Puerto Plata around 2 a.m. on June 20. He was staying at a hotel in the resort town of Maimon Bay at the time of his disappearance.
An hour after MacDonald was seen walking on the beach, local authorities received calls reporting him His body was found in the water during high tide shortly after 4 a.m., local officials reported. While an official cause of death has not been announced, a close family friend confirmed that MacDonald had drowned.
Tara McKenzie, a close friend of MacDonald, expressed her grief and shock on a GoFundMe page set up to raise funds to bring MacDonald’s body back to Canada. “Dorian died suddenly in a drowning accident. He was only 38 years old. And now, the world feels a lot quieter and a whole lot less vibrant just knowing he’s no longer a part of it,” she wrote.
McKenzie further explained the urgency of bringing MacDonald back to his family in Nova Scotia. She highlighted the financial burden of navigating the bureaucratic process, estimating costs between $10,000 to $20,000 for paperwork, international flights, body preparation, and funeral arrangements.
In a heartfelt tribute to MacDonald, whom she referred to as her “brother from another,” McKenzie shared 80 photos and text messages dating back to 2016. She expressed her disbelief and grief over the loss of a friend whose presence was “infectious.”
MacDonald’s death is the latest in a series of tragic incidents involving tourists in the Caribbean nation. Earlier this year, Sudiksha Konanki, a University of Pittsburgh student, vanished while swimming during her spring break trip to Punta Cana. Despite extensive search efforts, Konanki’s body has not been recovered.