The American Travel Hotspot Where a Tourist Is Dying Every Week

Published Jun 25, 2024 at 1:33 PM EDT
Updated Jun 25, 2024 at 1:59 PM EDT

By Jesus Mesa
Live News Reporter

In one of the luxury hotels that line the chic El Poblado neighborhood of Medellín, Colombia, a 25-year-old American citizen was found dead last Thursday. Matthew Watson Croulet had hopped into a taxi early in the morning disoriented, remembering nothing but the name of his hotel. According to police reports, hotel staff noted that Croulet appeared drugged and unwell. His body was discovered in his room at 9:30 a.m.

Croulet is the 29th tourist to die under violent or mysterious circumstances in Medellín so far this year — an average of more than one a week. If the pace continues, the city will close the year with 61 tourist deaths.

The birthplace of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, Medellín was once infamously known as among the most dangerous cities in the world. But after years of work on its reputation, Medellín has since become one of the hottest summer travel destinations in the world. Last year, Time Out magazine named it the the "coolest" city in the world.

But a surge in tourism has brought a parallel increase in criminal activities targeting those visitors. On May 31, another U.S. citizen was found dead in a hotel in the tourist district of Laureles. Jaime Eduardo Cisneros, 54, was discovered lying on a bed half-naked, rolled up in a sheet, with no signs of violence. Authorities said he entered his room with a woman early in the morning, but only she left.

More:
https://www.newsweek.com/medellin-colombia-american-tourist-deaths-1917228?piano_t=1