by Brian Major
Last updated: 11:24 AM ET, Tue April 9, 2019
A New York couple has been missing in the Dominican Republic for nearly two weeks following a resort vacation in the Samana region.
Mount Vernon residents Orlando Moore and Portia Ravenelle flew to the country on March 23 from Newark Liberty International Airport and were scheduled to return March 27 according to multiple press reports.
Family and friends are searching for the pair, who had been staying at the Grand Bahia Principe Cayacoa resort in the northeast town of Samana. A Bahia spokesperson said the couple checked out of the hotel one day before their scheduled return to the U.S.
"Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts is aware of the situation involving two tourists reported missing in the Dominican Republic," said the spokesperson in a statement provided to TravelPulse. "Though the couple were guests of one of our hotels, we can confirm they completed check out on March 26 and were seen departing the property in their rental car."
"While we wish we had more information to share, this is all we know at this time," the statement adds. "Our thoughts are with their friends and families while we pray for their safe return."
Ravenelle's family is reportedly in the Dominican Republic looking for the pair, whose smartphones are said to be turned off. "At present time we are working directly with the Attorney's Office 'Procuradoria General de la Republica Dominica' on the matter at hand," said the Embassy of the Dominican Republic in Washington D.C. in a statement to WPIX 11. "As such, it is part of an ongoing investigation and we are not at liberty to comment nor speculate."
"They were due to board a late night flight on March 26," reads a Dominican Today post advising readers of the missing couple and requesting anyone with information contact authorities. "They never boarded their flight. The rental car that was used was never returned. Their cell phones are answering straight to voicemail."
Moore is a father of two and realtor in Mount Vernon. An official with U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed to Moore's family he didn't make his flight back to the U.S. A CBP spokesperson told NBC News in a statement the agency doesn't comment on international travelers' specific cases due to privacy concerns.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson said in a statement to NBC News it is aware of the reports. "We stand ready to provide appropriate assistance to U.S. citizens in need and to their families," the spokesperson said.
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