Fundraiser Launched After Denver Man Dies In Dominican Republic

DENVER, CO — A fundraiser has been launched for the family of a Denver man who died after traveling to the Dominican Republic last week. He went to the Caribbean nation with his daughter, and suddenly fell ill after arriving at his hotel.

A GoFundMe page was launched to help bring home Khalid Adkins' body from the Dominican Republic. Nearly 200 donors contributed more than $20,000 in a day.

Adkins' family said they were desperately trying to fly him home after he got sick. They were quoted $20,000 to medevac him, and were trying to come up with the money to pay for his trip.

Whenever the family talked to Adkins over the phone, he would scream in pain and beg for their help. His family called the situation a "terrible nightmare."

He was given an injection with an unknown medication to help him fly home Sunday. When he got into the plane, he was dripping with sweat and vomited in the plane's bathroom, his family said.

The family said he died Tuesday, and never made it back home to Denver.

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His family said they've been offered no explanation for his death.

More than ten American tourists have died in the Caribbean nation over the past year.

A 56-year-old Long Island man in seemingly good health also died in the Dominican Republic last week after "drinking something," his sister-in-law said.

The FBI launched an investigation last week into whether any of the American deaths in the Dominican Republic were from drinking tainted or bootleg liquor.