Heartbroken Parents Recall Final Moments of Teens Killed by Suspected Methanol Poisoning in Laos

Mar. 15, 2025

Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones.Photo:60 Minutes Australia/YouTube

60 Minutes Australia/YouTube

Melbourne teenagersHolly Bowles and Bianca Jones, both 19, were among six tourists who died in November after drinking alcohol thatauthorities suspect was tainted with methanolin Vang Vieng, a town popular with backpackers and tourists.

The teenagers were staying at the Nana Backpacker Hostel, a popular hostel that has since closed, when they both fell ill on Nov. 13 following a night out.

The friends were taken to the hospital after they failed to check out of their room at the hostel. Both later died at separate hospitals.

Bianca’s father Mark Jones told60MinutesAustraliaabout the moment his daughter’s doctor told him and his wife that she wasn’t going to survive.

Holly’s parents were told the following day that their daughter’s condition was dire.

“In a way, we were fortunate to be there with Holly when she passed, which we will forever be grateful for,” Holly’s father Shaun Bowles said. “And to not have that would’ve been just heartbreaking. It really would’ve been.”

Mark Jones said life without his daughter has been “pretty tough.”

“It’s still hard to believe she’s not coming home,” he said. “You wake up every morning, expecting her to walk out of her room.”

Bianca Jones' parents Mark Jones and Michelle Jones, and Holly Bowles' parents Sam Bowles and Shaun Bowles.60 Minutes Australia/YouTube

Mark said he and his wife, along with the Bowles family, are still waiting for answers from the government of Laos.

“We’ve heard nothing,” Mark said. “So, I can’t be confident about anything.”

Shaun said the Laos government has not reached out to them.

Nana Backpackers Hostel in Vang Vieng.STR/AFP via Getty

STR/AFP via Getty

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“The Laos government sent their condolences via the federal police, and that, to us, means nothing, nothing at all,” he said. “That’s just not good enough.”

Several people were detained from the Nana Backpacker Hostel but have since been released, according to60 Minutes Australia.

Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles.Facebook (2)

Facebook (2)

According to theBBC, the hostel distributed free shots of alcohol to around 100 guests the previous evening.

In an interview with theTodayshow, Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australian officials “expect a full, thorough, transparent investigation, and we expect that those responsible are brought to justice. It is entirely reasonable for the families to want answers. It is entirely reasonable for the families to want the government to be upfront with them. And that will continue to be my message to Laos. We want answers. We want transparency, and we want those who are responsible for causing the deaths of two beautiful, young Australian women brought to justice.”

Two tourists from Denmark, Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, Freja Vennervald Sorensen, 21, a British lawyer, Simone White, 28, and an American man in his 50s also died from the tainted alcohol, per Australia’sSkyNews.

source: people.com