A married couple from Canada were found dead while vacationing in the Dominican Republic last month, leaving their family searching for clarity about what happened in the final hours of their trip.
Christine Sauvé, 55, and Alain Noël, 56, both from Québec, were discovered unresponsive by their son inside their vacation home at the El Indio Village residential complex in Villa Riva on Friday, Dec. 26, according to Christine’s brother, Gilles Sauvé Jr.
Autopsies have already been conducted, and the family has been told they may receive preliminary findings later this week. A final report, however, could take as long as four months.
In the absence of official conclusions, speculation has circulated in local media, including suggestions of murder or suicide. Gilles firmly rejects those theories, saying he does not believe either scenario is accurate.
Christine and Alain had been married for more than 30 years and were parents to two children, Jonathan, 30, and Sabrina, 28. Gilles describes the couple as warm, generous people who were deeply connected to their family and community.
“Alain was a big man, but he was really a teddy bear,” Gilles says. “Christine was amazing. She always did so much for the family.”
The couple arrived in the Dominican Republic on Dec. 14 with their son Jonathan to begin a month-long stay. They owned a home there and planned to live in the country after retiring.
While on the trip, Christine began experiencing dizziness and suffered a fall. On Dec. 25, she went to a hospital, where doctors conducted blood tests. She was not prescribed any medication at the time and was asked to return the next day for additional scans.
Gilles says Alain had also experienced some dizziness but did not mention it to doctors, as he was more focused on his wife’s condition.
After returning home from the hospital, Christine and Alain video-called family members in Canada. Gilles recalls that both appeared extremely tired but did not complain of dizziness during the conversation.
Christine told her family she was unsure what caused her symptoms and wondered whether they might be linked to existing health issues. Both she and Alain had high blood pressure and diabetes, though she couldn’t say for certain what was behind the episode.
“It wasn’t clear,” Gilles says. “There was nothing really clear about it.”
They also mentioned mild stomach discomfort but did not believe food was the cause. Aside from being exhausted, they appeared stable during the call.
“Alain showed me the house and the garden lights he had just put up,” Gilles says. “Christine was talking normally and following along.”
The following morning, Jonathan woke up around 9:30 a.m. and noticed his parents had not gotten out of bed, which struck him as unusual. Alain was typically an early riser due to his work in the family construction business.
At first, Jonathan assumed they were sleeping late because of the previous day’s exhaustion. When they still hadn’t woken up about an hour later, he checked their room and found both parents unresponsive in bed.
According to Gilles, Jonathan immediately called his sister Sabrina to tell her their parents were not breathing. Sabrina instructed him to contact the resort’s manager, who then alerted local authorities.
“Everyone arrived and did what they needed to do. They searched the house,” Gilles says.
Gilles and Sabrina traveled to the Dominican Republic about a day and a half later to support Jonathan and assist with communication, which proved challenging due to language barriers.
Canadian officials contacted the family four days later and provided the funeral home’s contact information, though the family had already been in touch with them.
Global Affairs Canada has confirmed the deaths to Global News and said it remains in contact with local authorities as the investigation continues. Officials have stated that no additional details can be released due to privacy concerns. Dominican authorities have not issued further public statements, and no new updates have been shared as of Jan. 5.
More than a week after the tragedy, Gilles says the family is coping but still struggling to comprehend the loss.
“It’s a huge loss,” he says, noting that losing both parents at the same time has been especially devastating for Jonathan and Sabrina.
When asked how he hopes Christine and Alain will be remembered, Gilles points to their compassion and sense of responsibility toward family.
After Gilles lost his wife to leukemia a year and a half ago, Christine stepped in to help care for his daughter, who also works in the family business. Now, he says, he plans to return that same level of care to her children.
“I had two kids,” Gilles says. “Now I have four. I’ll take care of theirs too.”
