Maryland couple found dead in their Dominican Republic hotel room

An American couple visiting the Dominican Republic found dead in their hotel room died of respiratory failure, the country’s national police said.

A statement from the Dominican Republic National Police said that an autopsy concluded that the couple had respiratory failure and pulmonary edema, a condition caused by excess fluid in the lungs.

Edward Nathaniel Holmes, 63, and Cynthia Ann Day, 49, missed their scheduled check out time at the Bahia Principe Hotel in La Romana.

Hotel staff members went into their room and found the couple unresponsive Thursday, said spokesman Frank Felix Duran Mejia of the Dominican Republic National Police. There were no signs of violence in the room.

The police confirmed that various medications meant to treat high blood pressure were found in the room.

Relatives told CNN affiliate WBAL that Holmes and Day were engaged. They were from Prince George’s County, Maryland, and were supposed to fly back home the day they were found, the station reported.

Hotel staff contacted local authorities. The cause of their death is not yet known, but their bodies have been transported to the Dominican National Institute of Forensic Sciences for an exam. The spokesman said blood-pressure medication was found in the room.

“We are deeply saddened by the incident at one of our hotels in La Romana, Dominican Republic, and want to express our deepest condolences to their family and friends,” Bahia Principe Hotels said in a statement.