A San Antonio couple's vacation turned into a horrific experience after they were allegedly poisoned by contaminated alcohol in Mexico City, prompting an intense medical and legal ordeal. Anthony Grigsby and Rachel Villarreal traveled to Mexico City for what they anticipated to be a dream getaway but ended up hospitalized with severe symptoms consistent with methanol poisoning.
Grigsby recounted to KENS 5 that the nightmare began on January 14 during a visit to Xochimilco, where they had pulque shots offered by a local vendor. The couple, who had been fine early, started feeling unwell on the return trip when Villarreal began to suffer from a headache and stomach pains.
Within two days, Villarreal's condition deteriorated drastically, finding her unconscious on the floor, said Grigsby in an interview with KSAT. She was quickly taken to ICU, where she was intubated, and her blood pressure was dangerously low, with brain swelling and failing kidneys — symptoms that pointed to methanol poisoning.
Adding to the couple's dismay, Villarreal's toxicology report also detected the presence of ecstasy, which Grigsby firmly denies they had taken, as he told KSAT. This chilling incident is not isolated, as the U.S. State Department had previously warned about the risks of tainted alcohol in Mexico. Grigsby believes that the shots of pulque they had consumed on that fateful day were spiked with methanol. Subsequently, he filed a police report with the Mexican authorities.
The couple's predicament was further complicated by the financial burden of their medical treatment. Faced with escalating medical bills at a private facility in Mexico, and their health insurance not covering all costs, Grigsby's family set up a GoFundMe campaign to alleviate the financial stress. Their primary focus remains on Villarreal's recovery and a safe return to San Antonio, Grigsby said, emphasizing the importance of travel vigilance.
Fortunately, the couple has since returned to San Antonio, where Villarreal is currently hospitalized, gradually making strides towards recovery. "Rachel was finally walking," Grigsby relayed to KSAT, expressing relief at being back on familiar ground and looking forward to putting the harrowing experience behind them.
