by Brian Major
Last updated: 8:50 AM ET, Sat December 9, 2023
This past week brought the distressing news that Daniel
Langlois and Dominique Marchand, the owners of Dominica’s Coulibri Ridge resort,
were found dead on the island after having been reported missing.
The couple were murdered, according to police, by the owner
of Bois Cotlette, a neighboring estate, with whom Langlois and Marchand had
been involved in a long-running dispute.
A public road that crossed Bois Cotlette and also provided
access to Coulibri Ridge was at the center of the disagreement. Now, two suspects
are jailed in Dominica, charged with murdering Langlois and Marchand.
Since arriving in the Caribbean country in 1997, the couple has worked steadily, and last year, they successfully launched a sustainably operated resort.
Their development brought employment and new vacation
activity to Dominica, an island to whom tourism’s economic contribution is
crucially important.
Langlois had earlier achieved global recognition as the founder of Softimage, which produced 3D animation software used in award-winning films, including “Jurassic Park,” “Titanic,” “Men in Black,” “The Matrix” and “The Fifth Element.”
His exceptional success led him to create The Daniel
Langlois Foundation, a private, charitable organization that aims to “further
human knowledge by supporting artistic, scientific and technological research.”
It was during his business travels that Langlois first wondered
if sustainable practices, including solar energy and rainwater collection and
filtration, could help improve the lives and livelihoods of individuals in
vulnerable communities.
That ultimately led him and Marchand to launch what they described as the Caribbean’s only fully off-grid luxury resort.
Along the way, Langlois and Marchand became known for their
dedication to the Soufriere and greater Dominica communities. The pair established
charitable organizations, including the Resilient Dominica Project and the Humane Society of Dominica.
The couple also managed to earn genuine love and respect in
their community and among the employees of their 14-room property.
"It’s been a shocker to everyone. I’m still in
disbelief at it all,” said Duane Lewis, guest services driver and tour guide at
Coulibri Ridge, who I spoke with in the days following the tragic events.
“When I think of the times with them, their close friends
and family, it saddens me,” Lewis said. “They were really nice and well-loved
by the community and the island by extension. They treated me more than just an
employee. They treated me like family.”
During a March e-bike tour into Soufriere and the Scotts Head community that Duane led, members of the media group of which I was a part encountered the wife of one of the suspects currently in custody.
She emerged from her building on the estate as we traversed the public road that was the subject of the dispute, screaming curses and threats. We remained calm, and the situation was diffused.
That an extended quarrel over an access road could lead to the
murder of two people is almost inconceivable. After I posted a link to my
initial TravelPulse story on this awful event on Facebook, a colleague
commented, “A crime like this will make lots of travelers hesitant about
visiting Dominica.”
Perhaps, but I don’t believe so. As the details of this case indicate, the dispute had more to do with personal and professional animosity, which advanced to a sickening extreme, than with inherent safety issues in Dominica.
Indeed, I believe such occurrences say more about our shared,
tragic human flaws and destructive characteristics than they do about any
individual destination or culture.
This year’s violent events across the globe – from war to random
shootings at schools and other public areas – demonstrate a generation-spanning
human tendency toward inexplicable hatred.
Still, after spending time with Daniel and Dominique during my March visit to Coulibri Ridge, I was again able to share the best aspects of our shared human character.
I found Daniel and Dominique to be kind and charming people who were also highly cognizant of our joint responsibility to love and assist our neighbors and protect our planet.
And that’s also why we travel – to learn from one another and share our humanity, helping to make our world better through common experiences.
I was blessed to meet this wonderful couple and will always
remember the brief days I spent with them. Their memory gives me hope humanity
can somehow overcome this wrenching hatred that destroys lives.
As my brother-in-law, an ordained minister, scholar and
ex-journalist, said to me in a Facebook comment, “The world has lost two people
who worked to make the inhabited earth a better place to live. May they rest in
peace.”
Amen.
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