DR officials claim Georgia man who allegedly vomited blood died of 'natural causes'

A Georgia man who allegedly vomited blood in the Dominican Republic died of "natural causes," government officials said.

In a statement to AOL, a spokesperson for Minister of Tourism Francisco Javier Garcia said that an autopsy showed that Tracy Jerome Jester Jr., of Forsyth, died of "basal bilateral pneumonia, which produced a pleural effusion and acute respiratory insufficiency."

"Mr. Jester’s family confirmed that he had a pathological history of bronchial asthma and Lupus," the spokesperson said in a statement. "The autopsy findings support that Mr. Jester’s passing was isolated in occurrence."

Jester died on March 17 while vacationing with his sister at a resort, the U.S. State Department and his family revealed on Sunday.

"We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in the Dominican Republic in March 2019," a state department spokesman said in a statement. "We offer our sincerest condolences to the family for their loss. Out of respect for the family during this difficult time, we do not have additional information to provide."

Jester and his sibling had reportedly spent the previous day sightseeing before the 31-year-old "dropped to his knees and started throwing up blood, and was calling for Mama."

Jester's mother, Melody Moore, claimed that he had taken a sip of a soda that didn't "taste right." She is now convinced that his passing is connected to the mysterious deaths that have taken place at resorts across the Caribbean country.

"Being a mom, I want to go to where he was, where he died at last," she told WSB-TV. "Something is wrong, my son is gone. Something is really wrong."

Since last year, at least 10 American tourists have passed away in the Dominican Republic under suspicious circumstances, many of which have involved the consumption of alcohol or use of hotel amenities. The victims include New Yorker Donette Edge Cannon, Pennsylvania woman Yvette Monique Sport, Maryland resident David Harrison, Californian Robert Wallace, Ohio resident Jerry Curran, Pennsylvania resident Miranda Schaup-Werner, Maryland couple Edward Nathaniel Holmes and Cynthia Day, California resident Robert Turlock, New York resident Leyla Cox, New Jersey resident Joseph Allen and Denver resident Khalid Adkins.

While the FBI is assisting Dominican authorities with their investigation into at least three of the deaths, Dominican officials have repeatedly dismissed the notion that their country is unsafe for tourists.

"Sometimes in life, there can be a law of sequences," Garcia told Fox News in an interview last month. "Sometimes, nothing may happen to you in a year. But in another week, three things might happen to you."

Following recent news of Jester's death, however, a spokesperson for Garcia was more conciliatory in a statement, noting certain steps the Dominican government has since taken to address tourists's concerns.

"The capacity for hotel inspections is being doubled to ensure strict compliance with food and beverage regulations and environmental standards," the statement read. "Medical offices within hotel facilities and the professional qualifications of its doctors and staff will be scrutinized and verified."