State Dept. confirms death of NY woman in Dominican Republic

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Friday, April 12, 2019
Missing Mount Vernon couple feared dead in Dominican Republic
Police believe 43-year-old Orlando Moore and 32-year-old Portia Ravenelle were on their way to catch their flight home.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- State Department officials confirmed 32-year-old Portia Ravenelle of Westchester County died in the Dominican Republic on April 4. They were still working to identify the body of a man believed to be her husband.

Ravenelle and 43-year-old Orlando Moore were vacationing in the Dominican Republic. It's believed they were on their way to catch their flight home to Mount Vernon when their car crashed into the ocean.

Police said the man's body, presumed to Moore, was found badly decomposed in a car underwater and that authorities were working to identify it.

Still, authorities believe the couple's rental car plunged into the ocean on March 27 as they were on their way to the airport.

Fishermen reported seeing the vehicle in the ocean, but divers had not been able to confirm it is the couple's rental because of rough seas.

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