Fiji poisoning: Resort guest who was rushed to hospital after sipping on a poison pina colada breaks her silence with scathing takedown of local authorities – accusing cops of a major cover-up

EXCLUSIVE

One of the victims of a mass cocktail poisoning at a five-star resort in Fiji has sensationally lifted the lid on her harrowing ordeal as she accuses the local government of failing to hand over her toxicology results.

American Jill Juarez was one of six tourists taken to hospital in critical condition on December 14 after drinking tainted pina coladas at the Warwick Resort, on the country’s Coral Coast.

All the sick guests – including four Australians – have now been discharged from hospital, with the Fijian government unable to explain what caused the mysterious illness – but ruling that the drinks did not contain methanol or illegal substances.

Now Ms Juarez has spoken out online after becoming frustrated with the response of local authorities, who she says have failed to “give her answers”.

Ms Juarez stated that she and the four Australian women had only one drink from the adult pool bar before becoming seriously ill.

“I was in Sigatoka Hospital for 24 hours and then taken by ambulance to Lautoka Hospital for another 24 hours,” she said.

‘I was given IV after IV NaCl, morphine, and other drugs while I was in and out of consciousness, unable to even walk to the toilet, and experiencing alternating states of extreme tingling or numbness (I couldn’t even handle a bottle of water keeping my mouth shut to drink), extreme nystagmus (spasms in the eyes) causing inability to focus or see clearly, confusion, nausea, massive non-stop palpitations (tachycardia) and borderline seizures.

“A mother nearly died when she was intubated in front of her equally poisoned teenage daughter and the rest of us, then put into a medically induced coma.”

Ms. Juarez said she began experiencing symptoms around 4 p.m. but was not interviewed by police until more than nine hours later.

She said she still has not received her personal blood and urine toxicology results from any of the hospitals she attended, and despite repeatedly calling the police, she has still not been contacted.

She added that it seemed strange that officials were so quick to rule out that the drinks did not contain methanol or drugs, but they have been unable to shed light on what actually happened.

“It’s been eleven days. I contacted the police officer who interviewed me twice, but I was ignored. There’s no way it could take that long,” she said.

‘It appears that once the toxicology results of the ‘selected samples of pina colada mix and/or alcohol’ from Warwick were announced, people quickly moved on.

‘Those results were made public four days after this happened and those samples were even sent all the way to Australia for testing. Why are we still waiting for our personal results, which I was told are in a lab in Fiji?”

Ms. Juarez said she worries about the long-term effects of her ordeal, with exposure to toxins potentially causing neurological problems, organ damage and blindness.

She said “not a single person” from authorities who were initially interested in speaking to her – including police and resort staff – has reached out to see how she is doing or to offer assistance.

She added that she had made repeated attempts to speak to the Warwick’s management about possible compensation for the several nights of accommodation they had lost – only to be fobbed off to a security guard who “interrogated” her for an hour and ‘insinuated’. that she drank too much.

Ms. Juarez said the entire experience has left her “extremely angry, scared, frustrated and sad.”

‘WHO will help ME? Where is the compassion and empathy for ME and the other women? And for my friend who had to go through the horrible ordeal of watching us all suffer, crying and screaming for help and having a doctor tell him ‘some of these women might not make it’?” she said.

“And how would you feel if your daughter or sister was on an island in the middle of nowhere on what was supposed to be a relaxing, beautiful vacation and you got a call at 3 a.m. saying she might die ?????

‘Just ask my elderly parents and my sister, they have been through that and the fear they now suffer from is real.’

Ms. Juarez also pushed back on online speculation that those hospitalized may have had food poisoning or had previously consumed alcohol at another location. She said she “didn’t drink kava at all, eat seafood or drink anywhere else.”

She said the way the case has been handled by the media, police and hospitals is “unacceptable” and that she has consulted a lawyer as she tries to access her lab results.

“I’m not saying unequivocally that someone at the Warwick ‘purposely’ poisoned our drinks… I promise I’m not implying that. But something happened,” she said.

“I have consulted with an attorney and will pursue this to the fullest extent if necessary, starting with obtaining a subpoena for my personal lab results. That’s the LEAST I owe.

‘I also have an appointment with my doctor in America for a full laboratory examination, including fingernail and hair follicle testing, which will reveal any toxins that have been in my system over the past 90 days.

“The truth will come out one way or another.”

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Warwick Resort for comment.

The charges come after the last two Australians – a 49-year-old woman and her 18-year-old daughter – were transported home in an undercover medical operation on Thursday evening.

An entourage of cars transported the 49-year-old mother to the chartered flight at Nadi International Airport on Wednesday afternoon after a four-day stay in the intensive care unit of Lautoka Hospital.

An entourage of cars transported the 49-year-old mother to the chartered flight at Nadi International Airport on Wednesday afternoon after a four-day stay in the intensive care unit of Lautoka Hospital.

Shortly after the air ambulance left Fiji, Deputy Prime Minister Viliame Gavoka stated that the six Warwick guests were not affected by methanol poisoning as initially speculated.

“I can confirm that no illegal substances or methanol were found in the ingredients or beverage samples,” Mr Gavoka said.

“All affected tourists and locals have now been discharged from medical care and fully recovered. This is a significant relief.

‘No tourist wants to end their holiday sick and we are sorry that their holiday ends this way.’

The mother and daughter arrived in Australia two days after Sydney teenager Georgia Sandoe-Simpson, 19, and her mother Tanya Sandoe were released from hospital and flown home on Monday.

While no alternative reason for the tourists’ illness was revealed, the Deputy Prime Minister indirectly shared a conspiracy theory that the bad press about the incident was fueled by a competing tourist destination.

“I would like to assure that this incident occurred in one hotel. There has been no reason to link this incident to any other incidents,” Gavoka said at a news conference.

“In the meantime, I want to tell everyone that it is safe to come to Fiji. We also need to find out who has been spreading that negative press about Fiji as a destination.

‘Are they competitors for our tourism?’

At the time, Fijian police promised they would continue to investigate the cause of the mass poisoning, but have yet to make the findings public.

“The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation regards the recent incident as a learning experience,” Mr Gavoka said.

“We will continue to work with our marketing department, Tourism Fiji, Fiji Hotels and Tourism Association, Fiji Police Force to ensure Fiji remains a safe destination for tourists.”

“The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation regards the recent incident as a learning experience,” Mr Gavoka said.

“We will continue to work with our marketing department, Tourism Fiji, Fiji Hotels and Tourism Association, Fiji Police Force to ensure Fiji remains a safe destination for tourists.”

Daily Mail Australia previously revealed that a friend of one of the victims claimed she was asked by Warwick staff to sign a compensation form and pay back $160.

Meanwhile, Warwick Resort management insists the property is safe for guests.

Bottles of Bounty Rum, the main ingredient in the Pina Coladas served, have been sent for testing.

“From our batch, this one has not expired,” said human resource manager Nitin Goundar.

‘We will go through the CCTV footage.’