By Ricardo Lezama 
Medellin authorities are grappling with an escalating incidence of mysterious deaths among foreign tourists. The latest case, a 25-year-old American found dead in a hotel in El Poblado, marks the 29th such event within the year alone. Just a few days ago we reported that even US federal officers are getting swept in the wave of premature deaths. The name of the latest victim is Mathel Wadsson, but local papers “El Tiempo” and “Colombiano” have driven the charge in the Spanish speaking press. On our end, we have scanned social media for mentions of the individual. Here are the latest:
Details of the Investigated Ongoing Death
29.
— ColombiaCalling (@ColombiaCalling) June 21, 2024
Autoridades de Medellín investigan muerte de otro extranjero en un hotel de El Poblado por @elcolombiano https://t.co/Et7P0FUikU
The tweet above had a chilling “29” number invoking the number of people that have been killed in Medellin region.
According to local media reports, a taxi driver discovered the American male in a disoriented state and swiftly sought help. Taxi drivers in Bogota have gotten a bad reputation due to lack of control or coordination between taxi drivers and airports to repel people posing as them. However, in this case, the young man’s apparent best hope was a local Medellin taxi driver.
Despite the swift response, the help arrived too late to save the young man’s life. As of now, the investigation is still ongoing to determine the exact cause of his untimely death.
Impact on Medellin’s Tourism Sector
The repetitive nature of these deaths are sparking concerns among tourist operators and negatively affecting the local industry, which has already reported a notable decrease, especially in domestic tourism. As a result, business owners in the tourism industry are calling on authorities to promptly address the issue.