Two Kentucky mothers have shared a harrowing account of their experience in the Bahamas, claiming they were drugged and assaulted during a getaway trip. The incident occurred shortly after the United States issued a travel advisory for the popular vacation destination.
Amber Shearer and Dongayla Dobson, both on their first vacation without their children, reported a distressing ordeal occurring in broad daylight on a Grand Bahama beach. The pair was visiting the beach after disembarking a Carnival cruise ship that had docked in the island nation.
Their leisure time turned into a nightmare when they accepted a two-for-one drink offer from a resort staffer, as reported by NewsNation’s “Cuomo.” While enjoying their beverages, one served in a pineapple and the other in a coconut, the friends began to feel unexpectedly intoxicated.
Concern arose among family members back in the United States when videos sent by the women depicted them appearing highly inebriated, merely 15 minutes post-consumption. “We knew something was terribly wrong,” Shearer recounted, indicating that they sensed danger shortly after beginning their second drink.
As they searched the beach for seashells to bring back for their children, another male resort employee offered guidance to an ideal spot for such finds. However, the situation escalated, and Shearer later regained consciousness amidst a sexual assault by a uniformed staff member.
Bahamian authorities, assisted by resort staff, were quick to identify the alleged assailants via surveillance camera footage. One of the suspects had reportedly been working at the resort for just around a week. The Royal Bahamas Police Force has since apprehended two individuals in connection with the assault: a 40-year-old from South Bahamia and a 54-year-old from Eight Mile Rock, according to a news release from the department.
Both women are now speaking out to caution others, turning their traumatic experience into an urgent message of vigilance for fellow travelers.