Toxicology test to be conducted on Staten Island woman who died in the Dominican Republic
NEW YORK (WABC) -- A blood sample has been drawn from a tourist from Staten Island who was found dead in the Dominican Republic on June 10.
The sample from 53-year-old Leyla Cox will be used for a toxicology test.
In coordination with the United States Embassy, the vial of blood will be delivered to Richmond University Medical Center where Cox worked in the radiology department.
The blood is to be delivered this week for RUMC to perform the toxicology.
Leyla Cox's body is on the way to Tennessee, where her son William lives.
A date for her funeral is pending
While officials say the woman died from a sudden heart attack, William Cox said he doesn't believe it, saying she would still be alive if she never went to the country.
A New Jersey man became the 8th American tourist to die while on vacation in the Dominican Republic.
"We have not seen an uptick in the number of U.S. citizen deaths reported to the Department" in the Dominican Republic, a State Department spokesperson told ABC News.
While the agency and local embassy are "closely monitoring ongoing investigations by Dominican authorities into several recent deaths," it is the first statement from the U.S. government cautioning against any overreaction to the recent deaths.
Over 2.7 million U.S. citizens visit the Dominican Republic each year, the spokesperson said, and like Americans elsewhere overseas, "the overwhelming majority travel without incident."
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