Carol C. shared a devastating experience from a trip to Mexico with her daughter and friends during senior spring break. On their final day, Carol’s 18-year-old daughter was drugged and violently assaulted by a hotel staff member—Mauro, a bartender at the beach bar. After being handed an unsolicited shot and feeling suddenly dizzy, she went to a nearby bathroom and locked the door. Mauro used a key to enter and assaulted her. The attack ended only when another adult in the group began calling out for her.
The response from the hotel staff was deeply disturbing. Despite immediate pleas for help, security took over 40 minutes to arrive and insisted on interviewing her in a public area. They refused to call police or medical services, even with visible injuries and signs of trauma. Carol notes that the hotel has video footage confirming Mauro’s entry into the bathroom but refuses to release it. The only management contact she reached was cold and unhelpful, offering no apology and no plan for guest protection. Toxicology tests later showed her daughter had been drugged with ketamine.
Carol’s warning to other travelers is clear and urgent. She urges others to avoid this resort and warns that travelers cannot rely on hotel staff or local authorities for support in crisis situations. She emphasizes the emotional and financial toll this has taken on her family, and the devastating lack of justice for her daughter.
