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College students say they suffered terrifying symptoms after drinking laced water at Cancun bar

‘We were at the pool bar and we were both knocked out,’ one of the hospitalized college students recalled

Kelly Rissman
Wednesday 07 August 2024 17:43 BST
Zara Hull hospitalized after drinking water at a pool bar in Cancun
Zara Hull hospitalized after drinking water at a pool bar in Cancun (News9)

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A group of Oklahoma college students believe they were drugged in Cancun, Mexico after getting severely ill after going to a bar.

The 20-year-olds’ vacation to Cancun quickly became a nightmare after two women — Zara Hull and Kaylie Pitze — needed to be hospitalized after drinking water at a bar.

The friends landed in Mexico on Thursday. On Friday, they went to a pool bar. Anything after that is hard to remember, the college students told News9.

“My water was fizzing. We were at the pool bar and we were both knocked out,” Hull said.

“The last memory I have is just walking in the pool,” Pitze said. “There’s no other explanation for this. Two girls don’t just drop at the same time.”

The two women wound up in a hospital that night. “We were out, couldn’t walk, couldn’t talk, couldn’t do anything,” Pitze told the outlet.

Kaylie Pitze believes she was drugged at a pool bar in Cancun
Kaylie Pitze believes she was drugged at a pool bar in Cancun (News9)

Zara said she had suffered seizures: “I started having convulsions in my stomach, so they called 911.”

The students’ doctors told them they thought their drinks may have been spiked with synthetic fentanyl, according to the outlet.

Hull and her family have paid tens of thousands in medical bills following the incident.

When she arrived at the hospital, Hull was told there was a $10,000 deposit required for treatment to start, according to a GoFundMe page.

By Sunday, Hull was medi-flighted to the US — a trip that cost $28,000 and was paid for by a family friend, News9 reported. “The evacuation number is about $60,000, at this point,” her mother told the outlet.

A GoFundMe page has been set up, asking for $40,000. As of Wednesday morning, the fundraiser had raked in more than $18,000.

On Monday, Hull was moved out of the ICU, according to the page. “For now she is spending time in the neurology unit while her body continues to detox from being over medicated in the Mexican hospital. This placement is out of caution and not related to neurological problems.”

Hull told News9 there were times where she wasn’t sure she was going to make it.

“I am beyond blessed that everyone is reaching out,” Hull said.

“This could happen to anyone,” Pitze added.

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