TCI Residents Outraged at Coroner’s Inquest into Marie Kuhnla’s 2018 Murder

By Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

#TurksandCaicos, June 16, 2022 – “A case that even a child could see through” is how some Turks and Caicos Islanders are describing the case of Marie Kuhnla, a tourist found dead on the property of Club Med in 2018.

Kuhnla’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Club Med and a former employee of the company Frank Yacullo jr this year leading international news organizations to pick up the case again. Since then the treatment of the case has become increasingly bizarre and Islanders are taking notice.

Islanders took to social media with questions about the incident after a never before seen lab report was revealed in a late stage coroner’s inquest.

“I can’t fathom how they can even argue on this case…This is so disappointing from our Royal Turks and Caicos Police Force…” one said.

Marie was found on the Club Med property in 2018, the TCI coroner said she appeared to have been strangled, her underwear was on inside out and she had been beaten.  Now medical reports prove seminal fluid was found in the victim’s underwear.

After testimony in the issue has ended a decision will be made by the seven jurors in the case.  This decision – handed down this week – was to determine whether Marie’s death is considered a homicide or not.

The jury upheld the medical examiner’s findings that Kuhnla, 61, died due to manual strangulation.