CDC: Test results don’t suggest infectious disease killed Fort Worth couple in Fiji

Nearly a month after David and Michelle Paul died following an unexplained illness on vacation in Fiji, the Centers for Disease Control has announced preliminary test results don’t indicate an infectious disease is to blame.

The CDC began an investigation into the Fort Worth couple’s deaths in early June at the request of the Fiji Ministry of Health and Medical Services, which is also investigating their deaths. The Ministry ruled out the flu as a possible cause of death and sent specimens — which neither agency identified — to the CDC to be tested.

The CDC has “completed extensive initial testing on samples received from Fiji” and “current results do not suggest that an infectious disease caused these deaths,” CDC spokesman Marcus Hubbard said.

“CDC and its partners are proceeding with additional non-infectious laboratory testing,” he said.

Michelle, 35, died on May 25, a day after she reported to her father, Marc Calanog, that she and David had been experiencing symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea. David, 38, died on May 27.

Calanog, who lives near Las Vegas, talked to CDC representatives on Friday morning and learned preliminary results don’t indicate an infectious disease is what killed his daughter. He said he was surprised.

“In the end, I want the root cause of death,” Calanog said. “If it’s not an infectious disease, what is it?”

Calanog said he hopes he can soon have answers as to why his healthy daughter and her husband wound up dead in Fiji. The CDC, he said, told him it could take a couple more weeks for there to be a full report.

The CDC also told Calanog on Friday that an agency is Australia is also in the process of testing specimens, he said.

The bodies of David and Michelle can’t be released back to the U.S. until a cause of death is determined. If it turns out they were killed by an infectious disease, their bodies would have to be cremated or kept inside hermetically sealed bags for the shipment, Calanog said.

Should Michelle’s body be allowed to come back to the U.S., Calanog said, he wants to set up an independent autopsy to be conducted.

“I would like to see more evidence,” he said.

This story was originally published June 21, 2019 at 4:34 PM with the headline "CDC: Test results don’t suggest infectious disease killed Fort Worth couple in Fiji."