Overview

• Authorities discovered the body of 38-year-old Dorian Christian MacDonald in high-tide waters off Puerto Plata at about 4 a.m. on June 20 and determined the cause to be accidental drowning.
• MacDonald had gone for a late-night walk near the beach around 2 a.m. and was reported missing roughly an hour later.
• Global Affairs Canada confirmed awareness of the case but declined to release further details due to privacy considerations.
• A GoFundMe campaign organized by close friend Tara McKenzie has raised over $33,000 toward an estimated $40,000 needed for repatriation and funeral expenses.
• The case, coming three months after another tourist’s presumed drowning in Punta Cana, spotlights questions about visitor safety and investigative transparency in the Dominican Republic.