My best friend, SGT. Joseph Bitet, a decorated US Marine serving in Iraq two times, was visiting Cancun January 3rd to the 10th with his girlfriend Allyson. Unfortunately his trip was cut short and we need your help.
He was a guest at the RIU Las Americanas but frequented the Riu Cancun using their amenities as well. On Friday night (01/06) he was at the RIU Cancun until the early morning hours of Saturday (01/07) at around 3:15am he left the bar to return to his hotel to meet his girlfriend who left earlier that evening. Unfortunately he never made it back to the Riu Palace. The Police have been of no assistance in this investigation. They have even lied directly to Joe’s Parents and Girlfriend claiming Joey was alone but after much persuasion for many days the family was allowed to view the hotel lobby security video which clearly shows Joe with another Caucasian male in a black and white checkered t-shirt.
At 3:15am on Saturday January 7th, Joe spoke with his girlfriend from the Bar on the 2nd floor of the of the Riu Cancun informing her he was leaving the bar to return to their room at the Riu Palace Las Americanas. This was also confirmed on the security videos. At approximately 3:20am the video surveillance shows Joe speaking with this unidentified male for a few minutes, obtaining a cigarette light from security or hotel personal then boarding the elevator at 3:23a. Seven minutes later a Russian man comes from the elevator yelling that there was an accident that his wife saw a man fall from the 5th floor. Family has not been given the last name/identity of this Russian Couple who also has never been questioned due to a language barrier per the Mexican Police and Hotel Staff. The man Joe was with a few minutes prior to his death has never been identified either.
Please we ask if anyone witnessed anything, knows anything, heard anything please contact me (gingreen0054@yahoo.com) . Maybe you were in the bar that night and saw Joey or this other man. We are desperately looking for answers to this tragic death. We would love to find the Russian couple who witnessed Joey fall to see if they saw or heard anything prior. Also we would love to find out who this mystery person that was with Joe during the last few minutes of his life. Please help!
US Marine Dies at Riu Cancun - We Need Your Help
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I'm so sorry.
I'm very sorry. I hope you are able to find the answers you're looking for.
My prayers are with you might contact my senator congressman
to get involved with US Embassy travel.state.gov to prompt authorities to get some answers for you.Fallen heroes are never forgotten.
I'm very sorry for your loss and I hope someone can provide you with more information.
Have you posted this on the Tripadvisor forums too?
I am so very sorry. No real advise but just condolences.
We have tried posting on tripadvisor several times and either they block and will not allow the review to be published or they delete the forum for "inapproprate content". Other victims families found their witnesses via tripadvisor and other travel blogs so this is all we can do right now. We have been working with Congressman Peter King, Steve Levy, Sen. Chuck Schumer and the consulate but have had little help from the Mexican Government. They do not want to release any info to the family or aid in our investigation.
Like others, I wish I could help. I'm very sorry for your loss.
Gingreen- I would go to the press as well - as much as possible. I know this man - different situation but it took lots of press in this case:
https://sites.google.com/site/qatarhostages/nasser-beydoun
contact things like 60 minutes, your local press is a great place to start.
Blessings to you all.
Also you should post this n LonelyPlanet's forum called Thorntree...
I would also post it on LocoGringo.com That is a Riviera maya website and forum. Many expats on that forum (including retired servicemen and women) who live in the area and speak Spanish and may be of help.
God bless you all. This must be a nightmare.
Be as big a squeaky wheel in the USA as you can. Congressmen, 60 minutes, and definitely call Beth Hollway's (Natalie Hollway's Mom) cable program "Vanished" on cable. What about that new program, Without a Trace?? Call them too.
If he was an African-American man, there is a new show called "Find Our Missing," on TV One that focuses on men and women of black and other color who are missing, and who do not get the publicity often times that other people do.
As you may be able to tell, I had a best friend who had a loved one who went missing. There are private investigators who specialize in missing people in Mexico. One of them was profiled within the last month on the "Vanished" show. It was about two young girls, 20 yrs old or so, who went missing over the border in Matamoras. One of the Mom's hired an American of Mexican descent private detecitve who really seemed to know about how Mexico works regarding the missing and the protective nature of the people down there. He was impressive, IMO. He dogged those two girls for years, would not give up, even after the Mom ran out of money. maybe find out who he is...
I think the fact that this close friend was a marine twice in Iraq and decorated- that should get you come publicity (I am not trying to be a marketer here or anything like that, but whatever gets your friend and his family the attn. this deserves, go for it).
Is there some organization that has military connections that would be interested in this and in helping fund the investigation, which I assume is going to be done with private dollars if it is done)? Veterans of Foreign War? Those types of organiztions?
I can't get this off my mind. I am on a working vacation in NYC and all I can think about is this man and his family and friends. It is unfortunate that he stayed out so late at that resort. Of course, he didn't ask for foul play, which it sounds like he might have met. No one ever does. But Cancun is not a place I'd want to be roaming around at 3 a.m., even going from one resort to another. There was a young American man last yr. who was apparently beaten to death poolside after a night of drinking, at 3 a.m. by the pool at his resort.
Please keep us updated. Many positive thoughts and prayers going out for you from NYC tonight.
I think the fact that this close friend was a marine twice in Iraq and decorated- that should get you come publicity (I am not trying to be a marketer here or anything like that, but whatever gets your friend and his family the attn. this deserves, go for it).>
I agree with you and had the same thoughts. And of all the services Marines are a tight bunch-
Semper fidelis!!
I would like to thank every one for your very warm response to my post and the current nightmare we are going through. I will definatelly utilize many of your suggestions and recommendations. We are happy to say that finally some local media outlets like PIX (NY CH 11) and the NY Post reported our story.
http://m.nypost.com/p/news/national/​foul_play_in_marine_mexico_death_H7tUlr0pLk8mNuE07ghQSO
: http://www.wpix.com/videogallery/67527466/News/​Marine-Mystery-Military-Couple-s-Dream-Vacation-In-Cancun-Turns-Tragic#gl-0
We are still trying to reach out in hopes that the right person will see our outcry and have some information for us.
Are you aware that a Canadian was beaten under suspicious circumstances last week at a Riu hotel in Mazatlan? They have arrested someone but the story is weird.
I'm so sorry Gingreen. This must be incredibly difficult to deal with. The latest news regarding the Canadian woman brutally beaten at the Riu hotel in Mazatlan states that the man arrested is saying he was forced to confess to the beating and has been charged with attempted murder. There are a lot of unanswered questions about how it's being handled. It's also been suggested that the Mexican authorities acted quickly because of the negative affect 4 recent unrelated murders and 1 assault is having on tourism. These stories have been all over the Canadian media (everyday) since the first incident happened about a month ago. Media attention does work. Good luck to you and the Bidit family.
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Thank you everyone. We are having a lot of resistance from the Media here in the USA. The few major stations like "Today" on NBC, 48 hours, 60 Minutes, etc all want exclusives to the story.