Maryland families are seeking answers to the death of a 23-year-old man whose bodies were on vacation on a Bahamas beach.
Dinari McCalmont of Bowie, Maryland was found dead Saturday morning near a resort in the Atlantis Bahamas on Paradise Island where he was with his parents, according to his family.
McCalmont's mother, Michelle McCalmont, told Eyewitness News, a Bahamas news outlet, that it was clear he had been beaten when authorities showed her a photo of her son's face. “He's hurt,” she added.
His hair, which he takes special pride, is full of sand and she said he might have been beaten on the beach.
“We need baby justice,” she said. “I need justice. It wouldn't have been something he did himself.”
Royal Bahamas police said in a statement Wednesday that posthumous testing was conducted and the pathologist's findings revealed that McCarmont died “as a result of drowsing.”
Police are awaiting the results of forensic toxicology and an investigation is ongoing, police said. “That being said, there is no doubt about foul play at this point,” police said.
“We will certainly do our best to get the answer,” Shanta Knowles, commissioner for the Royal Bahamas Police, told Eyewitness News on Tuesday.
Police that failed to respond to requests for information Wednesday have not confirmed whether McCalmont's body has any indications of trauma or violence.
The US State Department confirmed the death of an American citizen in the Bahamas on Wednesday but declined to comment further, citing respect for family privacy.
In a statement, Atlantis Resort said it was “deeply saddened that one of its guests has passed away.”
“Our thoughts and the views of Pathetic Dol are in line with our guests' families and loved ones during this difficult time,” it said. “Police authorities are conducting an investigation into this tragic incident. We are awaiting the final police report and will not comment on speculation.”
In an interview Wednesday, McCalmont said the family had traveled to the resort on Friday and was due to return on Monday.
McCalmont said she texted her about 8:45pm on Friday that her son was about to go for a walk around the resort. She said he texted her again around 10pm and told her he would go to the resort restaurant.
At about 12:30am, he did not respond to her text asking where she was, she said.
Around 1am on Saturday, she told her that police summoned her to the front desk and that her son was spitting out by a restaurant worker and there was an argument. Police told her that her son's phone was found after he dropped it while running at the resort.
She said her son's body was found around 5am on Saturday.
Police have not confirmed whether there was an argument at the restaurant, nor have they said whether McCalmont's phone was found after it dropped.
McCalmont says his son had no personality to spew at someone and believes he might have been beaten when someone tried to steal his phone.
She told police he wanted to carry out a “full investigation” of her son's death, including reviewing security camera footage at the resort and interviewing staff. She also said she is hiring an attorney to find answers.
“I hope they come up with the truth,” McCalmont said Wednesday before police said his son was in his death. “The truth is at the resort.”
McCalmont's aunt Marcel McPherson said in an interview that her nephew was “a very modest and “loving child” who enjoyed basketball and music.
He worked as an audio engineer and music producer known as Diddy at Lowcation Studios in Brentwood, Maryland.
“Diddy was more than an engineer for us. He was a great friend and an incredible individual,” he added.
