GUYANA | Caribbean Group Demands Bahamas Investigation Into Tourist's Suspicious Death

CGID calls for thorough probe into death of Maryland resident Dinari McAlmont at Atlantis Resort

The Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy has formally requested that Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis order a comprehensive investigation into the death of Guyanese-American tourist Dinari McAlmont, whose body was discovered at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort on April 5, 2025.

McAlmont, a 23-year-old resident of Bowie, Maryland, died within 24 hours of arriving at the luxury resort with his parents for what was meant to be a family vacation. His death has raised serious questions about both the circumstances surrounding the incident and the handling of the investigation by Bahamian authorities.

In a letter to Prime Minister Davis dated October 15, CGID President Rickford Burke detailed troubling inconsistencies in the official account of McAlmont's death.

According to Burke, the young man's mother, Michelle Bacchus-Mcalmont—herself a U.S. citizen born in Guyana—has been seeking answers for months with little cooperation from Bahamian officials.

The circumstances of McAlmont's death remain murky. According to the information presented by CGID, McAlmont was involved in an altercation at a bar on the resort premises.

Surveillance footage allegedly captured the resort's chief of security assaulting McAlmont outside a bathroom, after which he fled the area.

Royal Bahamas Police Force officials subsequently reported finding McAlmont's body on a beach, claiming drowning as the cause of death.

However, the family has pointed to significant inconsistencies that challenge this narrative. McAlmont's wallet was found in his pocket—completely dry—with all his money missing.

His body was covered in sand and bore what appeared to be defensive wounds.

Adding to the confusion, Burke noted a critical discrepancy between police and hospital reports. While police claimed McAlmont died on the beach, hospital records indicate he died after being brought to the emergency room.

"Mrs. Bacchus-Mcalmont and her family desperately need answers as the circumstances and evidence suggest her son was potentially robbed and murdered while at the Atlantis in The Bahamas," Burke wrote in his letter to the Prime Minister.

The family has expressed growing frustration with what they describe as a cavalier and dismissive response from Bahamian authorities. Despite months of efforts to engage the Minister of National Security and the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the family says they have received no substantive answers about their son's death.

Burke suggested that material inconsistencies have convinced the family and others in the United States that "the Atlantis' security staff and the Royal Bahamas Police Force are colluding to potentially cover up a homicide."

The CGID president warned that the matter could significantly impact the Bahamas' reputation and tourism industry, noting that perceptions are growing in the United States that American deaths in the Bahamas are being inadequately investigated or covered up.

Burke's letter was copied to several prominent U.S. officials, including Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Leader in the House of Representatives, both Maryland U.S. Senators, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, and Herschel Walker, the U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas.

The organization is calling for the Royal Bahamas Police Force to conduct "a new, proper, fair, full, comprehensive and rigorous investigation" into McAlmont's death, with findings submitted to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for determination of whether the death was accidental or criminal.

As of publication, neither Prime Minister Davis's office nor Bahamian authorities have publicly responded to CGID's request.

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