Pewaukee native Abbey Connor, 20, was on winter break with her family when she suspiciously drowned in a resort pool in Playa del Carmen in 2017.
Her parents believe she was served tainted, poisonous alcohol. Now, they're suing the resort where the alcohol was served as well as its U.S. booking website.
The 24-page wrongful death complaint calls Abbey's death "entirely unavoidable," alleging that the upscale hotel chain Iberostar knew that the alcohol being served was tainted.
Authorities seized thousands of gallons of tainted alcohol from resorts in Playa del Carmen in 2017, including the resort where Abbey died.
"It frightens me so much," said Ginny McGowan, Abbey's mom. "It scares me. It angers me."
McGowan was waiting for her kids to come to dinner on their first night of vacation when she found out they had been rushed to the hospital.
Both kids, Abbey and Austin, were found floating face-down in waist-deep water at the Iberostar Paraiso del Mar resort.
"The bartender or security or staff or other guests, I just can't fathom how there wasn't someone that could have seen this," said McGowan.
Austin said he remembers drinking tequila at the swim-up bar then waking up in an ambulance with no idea of what happened and a bad concussion.
But Abbey never woke up. She was taken off life support after five days at the hospital.
"I just miss talking to her," said McGowan. "Having her be there at the end of the day to talk to. Miss her texts, her calls."
"Abbey should be with us," said Bill Connor, Abbey's dad. "The lawsuit is going to give us the answers we've been wanting. We haven't had a lot of cooperation but this lawsuit will get it for us."
According to their lawsuit, the resort was part of a tainted alcohol raid in 2017 and the alcohol confiscated contained toxic methanol. The lawsuit also claims there were no lifeguards or surveillance, and the resort won't allow investigators on the property.
"I never thought I'd be here talking to you and my daughter not being with us, but we've got to make something out of it," said Connor. "We got to get something good out of it."
The last time TODAY'S TMJ4 talked to Abbey's dad he was meeting the young man whose life was saved by Abbey. She donated her organs, and that man received her heart.
"Abbey saved a lot of lives," said Connor.
But it's her family now, who are hoping to save more lives.
"I wouldn't wish it upon anyone to go through what we've been through," said McGowan. "So, if I can get something changed, to prevent this, alleviate it from happening from anyone else, then it's so well worth it.
An Iberostar spokeswoman said the company will not comment on pending litigation, but they have repeatedly denied having tainted alcohol.
Just months after the tragedy, Austin, Abbey's brother, graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His parents say through all of this, he's their hero.
