Mysterious deaths of three Revere women – one a 2019 Malden High grad – becomes worldwide news

Revere and Malden residents stunned after three local women found dead in Belize resort hotel room Saturday; Revere Mayor Keefe seeking answers from Belize officials

By Steve Freker

The mysterious deaths of three young Revere women – one a 2019 Malden High School grad – has become an international news story. Residents of two local communities, Revere and Malden, are stunned over the fact that the trio of women were inexplicably found dead in a Central American hotel room in the resort city of San Pedro, Belize.

Wafae El-Arar, 26, Imane Mallah, 24, and Kaoutar Naqqad, 23 – all from Revere – were found Saturday morning, February 22, at the Royal Kahal Beach Resort in San Pedro by hotel housekeeping personnel, police said. Tragically, the women were discovered dead just one day before their scheduled return to the United States, which was Sunday. Ms. Mallah was a 2019 Malden High School graduate.

Revere Mayor Patrick Keefe told Boston-based news outlets there were “too many questions” surrounding the deaths of the local women. Keefe told NBC News there’s “widespread concern” about a lack of transparency into what happened. The information on their deaths provided so far from authorities in Belize “[has left] our grieving community with too many questions,” Mayor Keefe added.

In a statement released on Monday, the Revere mayor extended condolences on behalf of the City of Revere to the family and friends of the women and called them “valued members of the Revere community” and “daughters, friends, and contributors to our City.” The Revere Mayor added that he has been in contact with members of the community’s Congressional delegation – U.S. Senator Ed Markey, D-Mass., who is also a Malden resident, and U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark, D-5th District, who recently became a Revere resident – requesting assistance in finding answers about the overseas tragedy.

In Malden, where Mallah’s family members still reside, Malden High School Principal Chris Mastrangelo announced Ms. Mallah’s passing on Tuesday via a Malden Public Schools email, offering condolences from MHS and the school district. “I am sure that many have heard of the tragic passing of Imane Mallah, MHS Class of 2019, while on vacation in Belize. Imane had a brother that is also a Malden High School graduate and a younger sibling that is currently enrolled in Malden schools,” Mastrangelo wrote in his email. “Please join me in keeping Imane and her entire family in your thoughts during this very difficult time.”

Revere Mayor Keefe, in his interview with NBC10 Boston, noted that there was a federal Travel Advisory in effect for the country of Belize, which is located on the Gulf of America, on the eastern coast adjoining Mexico. “The [federal] Department of State issued a Level 2 Travel Advisory for Belize in December due to an increased risk for crime,” Mayor Keefe told the news outlet.” We will exhaust all avenues, both domestic and abroad, to ensure a proper and fair analysis of this case.”

Housing staff attempted to contact the women several times on Friday after surveillance footage showed them entering their room the previous night – after returning to the hotel after a tour in the region – and not coming back out, police said. When they did not receive a response by Saturday, hotel staff entered the room with a master key and found all three of the Revere women unresponsive.

As of Wednesday, the cause of their deaths has not been confirmed and national and local police in San Pedro, Belize, were still investigating the deaths. According to an online report, San Pedro Police Chief Chester Williams said, “Based on what the pathologist said when he visited on Saturday evening, they could have been dead 20 hours prior.” Police said there were no signs of forced entry or visible injuries on the women. According to reports, officers found snacks, liquids, vapes and other electronic devices in the room.

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GoFundMe accounts have been separately set up in the names of all three Revere women, to assist with funeral expenses as well as the transportation of the bodies back to the United States. As of Wednesday this week, all three of them had raised over $30,000. Following is a message put out by the City of Revere via Facebook, with links to the three GoFundMe accounts: The City of Revere extends our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the three local women who tragically and unexpectedly passed away in Belize.

“Each family has set up a GoFundMe, which we have linked below.

“Wafae: https://www.gofundme.com/…/help-ease-the-burden-for-wafae-el-arars-family

“Kaoutar: https://www.gofundme.com/f/honoring-kaoutar-funeral-fund

“Imane: https://www.gofundme.com/…/ndaaa-ab-mfgoaa-llmsaaad-fy-tkalyf-gnaz-abnth”