Seychelles Sisters Died of Water in the Lungs
Annie Korkki, 37, and her sister, Robin Korkki, 42, were nearing the end of their weeks-long vacation to Africa, staying in the $1,700 a night Maia Luxury Resort & Spa in tropical island chain the Seychelles, when they were found dead on September 22.
For days, the sisters’ family members in Minnesota were kept in the dark about what happened. Their mother and a brother even traveled to the Seychelles, an island chain off the east coast of African in the Indian Ocean, in search of answers.
On Friday, KARE, a TV station in Minneapolis, published the results of the sisters’ autopsy and it’s raising more questions that it is providing answers. Annie and Robin, the autopsy said, died of a condition called acute pulmonary edema, which is excessive fluid in the lungs that makes it difficult to breathe.
The cause of pulmonary edema, according to the Mayo Clinic, is usually heart problems, but it can also occur because of “pneumonia, exposure to certain toxins and medications, trauma to the chest wall, and exercise or living at high elevations.”
CBS News points out that Seychelles is not at a high elevation.
Cerebral Edema, or water on the brain, was also listed as a contributing cause of death, KARE reported.
There were no signs of foul play or trauma to the sisters’ bodies, according to CNN.
The autopsy report is vague, one doctor pointed out. "When we see pulmonary edema, it's a non-specific finding you see in lots of different things," Dr. Judy Melinek, an author and forensic medical expert who provides testimony for criminal and civil trials, told the Chicago Tribune. "So if you have an elderly person, it could be from heart failure.”
Poison or drug use could also cause this condition, she added.
The sisters were adventurous women who wanted to live life to the fullest. Their vacation, a tour of Africa, began September 1 and took them to Kanya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar before arriving in Seychelles on September 15. In Seychelles, they extended their trip two days to September 24, according to local authorities. And they posted pictures to their Facebook pages throughout the trip, including these pictures in the days before their deaths.
Today in Seychelles, the country’s newspaper, said in a Facebook post that Robin and Annie were last seen alive last Wednesday evening, September 21, when they were "assisted to their villa by hotel staff, including their butler, because they were believed to be drunk since they were seen consuming alcohol from the hotel bar throughout the day."
The butler noticed the next morning that the sisters had not opened their villa entrance, so around 11 a.m. he tried calling them but got no answer, according to Today in Seychelles. He called the resort management and then checked the room where he found them unresponsive. A doctor declared them dead.
Local authorities said they found medication in the sisters’ rooms, according to Today in Seychelles, but could not confirm whether it had anything to do with their deaths.
Results of toxicology tests are still pending, according to KARE.
Annie lived in Denver and, according to ABC 7 Denver, worked for JP Morgan Chase. Robin lived in Chicago, where she worked as a commodities trader, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The sisters were part of a large, tight-knit family in Minnesota, according to the Tribune. And they loved to travel.
"They were frequent travelers both domestically and internationally," their brother, Chris Korkki, said. "They were kind and generous and compassionate, and were wonderful people that had a positive impact on a huge number of people."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
You Might Also Like
