The family of the Maryland music producer found dead while on vacation at a Bahamas resort insists he was killed despite officials ruling his death to be from drowning.
Frustrated relatives of Dinari McAlmont are rallying for “international help” as the 23-year-old’s mother has been denied access to her son’s body a week after his tragic death.
Marcelle Bacchus, McAlmont’s aunt, shared the infuriating week her sister has endured looking for answers into her son’s death when he was found dead on a beach on April 5.
“My sister is so frustrated (sic). She has not seen her son as yet,” Bacchus wrote in a Facebook post on Friday.
She also revealed that cameras were not allowed in the morgue as the family fears valuable information in the case will be erased.
“No cameras were allowed in the mortary. The Police did not even share a picture publicly. No camera footage until now. We are afraid evidence will disappear,” Bacchus wrote.
McAlmont arrived on the Carribean island on April 4 for a getaway with his parents at the Atlantis Paradise Bahamas resort.
The family had dinner, and then McAlmont said he was cold and wanted to get a jacket before exploring the resort just before 9 p.m. He was found dead approximately 12 hours after arriving in the Bahamas.
McAlmont’s parents reported him missing around 11 p.m. and began searching for him.
Officials discovered his lifeless body on the shoreline of Paradise Island at 5:30 a.m. the next day.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force ruled McAlmont died as a result of drowning and don’t suspect foul play.
A post-mortem examination was performed, and the pathologist’s findings revealed that the deceased died as a result of drowning,” the RBPF said in a news conference Wednesday.
The grieving aunt revealed that McAlmont’s body was not released to the funeral parlor Thursday as planned because of a clerical error from the morgue misspelling his name.
McAlmont’s mom, Michelle McAlmont, only saw her son in a photo when officials gave her a glance at his “beaten” body.
“When I looked at the photo they showed me, my son was beaten; he was traumatized,” she told Bahamian outlet Eyewitness News.
“They beat my son down in the sand,” she said. “I need justice for my baby. I need justice.”
The heartbroken mother doubled down on her claim saying she was sure her son did not drown but was attacked.
“There is foul play,” Michelle McAlmont told Fox 5 DC. “Because of all the bruises and you can see when somebody is abused and hit at, yes, and that is what I am saying.”
Bacchus claims her sister only looked at the picture briefly and wasn’t given a copy.
The sound engineer from Bowie, Md. was accused of getting into an argument with restaurant staff at the resort before he allegedly spit on some of the workers.
“The police said they were looking for him because apparently he spat on some staff in a restaurant,” Michelle McAlmont said on April 7.
Family members created a GoFundMe to raise money for legal expenses to “pursue accountability” in the McAlmont’s death.
“Dinari was a kind, compassionate person who touched the lives of many. He leaves behind a legacy of love and strength that we are committed to protecting. Every donation, no matter the size, brings us one step closer to justice,” the fundraiser said.
