Childhood friends, Amber Shearer and Dongayla Dobson, have carried their friendship into adulthood with children of their own. At 31 years old, these two moms arrange a “No-Kids Trip” on the Carnival Cruise Ship Elation, where they will be on a 4-day cruise from Jacksonville Florida to the Bahamas.
Arriving in the Bahamas, Shearer and Dobson go on an excursion called “Pirate’s Cove Beach Getaway.” The pair want to collect some special sea shells to take home to their children. At Pirates Cove, a resort staffer offers the women a two-for-one drink deal. The women order, but say the drinks are much stronger than expected.
The moms decide to post a video to social media for friends and family, but immediately, Dongayla’s mother, Frankie King, sees the video and calls her daughter.
King says the moms are not acting like themselves, giggling, laughing, all over the place. King asks how much they have had to drink and Dongayla says not much, she hasn’t finished her first drink yet. After drinking the cocktails, the pair sets out to look for seashells on the beach when they say they are approached by a male resort staff member who tells them he knows a good place to find shells.
The staff member leads the women to an isolated area away from the main beach area. The next thing Shearer remembers is waking up in the middle of the attack. Dobson says they were just conscious enough, or just aware enough, to know that their attackers were in uniforms.
Two hours after Frankie King talks to her daughter, King receives a text message from her daughter, it says, “Call us now, we’ve been drugged and raped.” A Pirates Cove Staff member finds Amanda Shearer and Dongayla Dobson unconscious in a bathroom at the resort.
A nurse practitioner, Ladonna Batty, is on vacation on the same Carnival Cruise and is asked to assist the women. Shearer and Dobson know they have been assaulted and police are called.
Joining Nancy Grace today:
Additional Guest
- Nicholas Gerson – Attorney for Dongayla Dobson and Amber Shearer, Partner at Gerson and Schwartz; X: @gslawusa/FB: GersonSchwartzPA
“Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” on Fox Nation is also a national radio show on SiriusXM channel 111, airing for two hours daily starting at 12 p.m. EST. You can also subscribe and download the daily podcasts at iHeart Podcasts.
[Feature Photo: Provided]
