Best friends Amber Shearer and Dongayla Dobson say their trip to the Bahamas with “crystal clear water” was supposed to best time of their lives, but turned into a nightmare after they were both drugged and sexually assaulted.
The Kentucky mothers, who said they lost around 100 pounds and were proud to wear new bathing suits, took photos to send back to their family when they noticed a resort worker “avidly staring” at them while at a stop in Grand Bahama during a Carnival cruise.
Now, Dobson says the photo she took for her husband for Valentine’s Day is something she can’t bear to look at.
“It was our momcation. It’s the first time we ever felt sexy and confident in our own bodies,” Shearer told Nancy Grace during Thursday’s “Crime Stories” episode.
Shearer said that she and Dobson were searching for seashells for their children on the beach when a resort employee approached them and claimed he knew where they could find shells. Shearer said he offered them a two-for-one drink deal. She accepted and it was the last thing she remembers before the assault.
“I wake up and I’m being raped,” Shearer continued. “I grabbed the tree in front of me and I run, looking for Dongayla.”
The pair reported the assault to local authorities who administered a rape kit aboard the ship but treated them like criminals.
Shearer said investigators found the employees and allowed the suspects into the room with them. Although Dobson was able to identify one of the men, described as an older male with facial hair, seeing the suspects face-to-face sent them spiraling into anxiety.
“They walked in as if nothing was wrong. We freaked out, screaming, begging them to get them out. And they just acted like nothing was wrong, ” Shearer told Grace. “They even smiled when they came in the room.”
Investigators noted Shearer and Dobson had bruises all over their legs. Toxicology screens reportedly came back positive for benzodiazepines and cocaine, with only a trace of alcohol in their systems.
Now home, the women are receiving medical care — including HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) which costs $4,000, while dealing with “hate comments” left by others on social media.
“The hate comments we get is if that look we would rape them too,” Dobson said.
Police in the Bahamas have arrested two people and charged them with sexual assault. Their identities have not yet been publicly revealed and police have not denied or confirmed whether the suspects were staff members.
The victims are sharing their stories in hopes that what happened to them doesn’t happen to others. They warn others that traveling in pairs of two is simply not enough and advise travelers to go in “pairs of four or more” and have drinks that are “sealed” only.
They’re also now living together back home, explaining they feel more comfortable now if they’re together.
“Dongayla and I don’t feel safe unless we’re together,” Shearer said. “Neither one of us are able to work. It’s just too stressful, we feel overwhelmed, we can’t be around people.”
“Any time we close our eyes, we see a rapist.”
Meanwhile, the Royal Bahamas Police Force said they’re now working in conjunction with the FBI during the investigation.
Check back for updates.
[Feature Photo: Amber Shearer and Dongayla Dobson/Provided]
