Woman who died alongside her fiancé after drinking limoncello sent heartbreaking final text message
Topics: News, World News, UK News
Gerrard Kaonga
Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Greta Otteson
Topics: News, World News, UK News
Two tourists were found dead in their holiday villa in Vietnam and sparked an investigation into their cause of death.
The tourists were identified as 33-year-old Brit Greta Marie Otteson and her fiance 36-year-old South African Els Arno Quinton.
The pair were found dead on a bed the day after Christmas in a first-floor room in Hoi An, a coastal city in the central region of Vietnam.
The pair had recently announced their engagement and local officials were able to confirm that the pair had registered for long-term temporary residence at the Hoa Chuong villa.
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According to reports, early investigations suspect that the pair may have consumed a ‘homemade’ limoncello that was tainted with methanol, a highly toxic industrial chemical.
A source, who spoke to the Times, said: “Police forensics established the limoncello, which had been delivered, was the source.”
Heartbreakingly, Greta sent a final text to her family before she died, seemingly complaining of the effects of the drink.
Sending a text to her parents over WhatsApp on Christmas Eve, Greta complained of what she described as ‘worst hangover ever’ while also saying she was seeing ‘black spots’ in her vision.
Despite their poor health at the time, the couple decided to sleep it off declining an offer from a concerned friend to take them to the hospital. A source close to the families added: “sadly, I think it was too late by then”.
Hotel staff then found Greta the next morning with her fiance found in a separate room nearby.
A Quang Nam Provincial Police spokesperson stated at the time: "There were no signs of ransacking at the scene. The victims' belongings and phones were untouched."
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office said in a statement: "We are supporting the family of a British woman who has died in Vietnam and are in contact with the local authorities."
Methanol is considered highly toxic and as little as 25ml can be lethal, this is despite it looking and smelling similar to ethanol, which is found in alcoholic beverages.
Methanol is often found in products like fuel and solvents and is sometimes illegally added to alcohol to increase its potency.
Without immediate medical attention consuming methanol can prove fatal. It can also cause brain damage and blindness.
Both families of the couple are determined to get to the bottom of this and have called for justice.
Issuing a joint statement, they said: “Whilst the investigation is underway, procedural requirements and due diligence are being followed.
"Both families are aligned with the authorities in our shared goal of holding those responsible accountable.”