Dear Parents of Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles,
With open arms and broken hearts, we embrace you during this unimaginable time. Your beautiful girls, so full of life and excitement, set out on the trip of a lifetime with the world at their feet and endless opportunities before them.
We know the mixture of emotions you must have felt as you sent them off—pride, hope, and that ever-present trepidation. But you knew they needed to spread their wings, to chase adventure, and to discover the beauty of the world beyond.
That was me once, at 22, backpacking with my best friends across Thailand. Carefree, full of dreams, drinking, dancing, and soaking in every moment. Those are the experiences that shape a lifetime. Your girls were living that same joy, embracing new cultures and building memories they would carry forever.
But now, the joy has turned to heartbreak. It’s gut-wrenching to watch as this tragedy unfolds in the public eye, knowing the world is sharing your grief.
Please know that here in Australia, we are holding you in our hearts, sending love, strength, and solidarity. If hugs could heal, we’d wrap you in the biggest embrace.
This is every parent’s worst fear, the unthinkable that we all convince ourselves could never happen to us. But it did happen, and it happened to you. And for that, we are so, so sorry. Words feel entirely inadequate in moments like these.
What makes it even harder to bear is how senseless and preventable it all feels. The tragedy of suspected methanol poisoning robs young adventurers of their dreams and families of their precious children.
Your pain is shared, not just by your community, but by all who have ever sent their loved ones out into the world, hoping they would return safely.
Your daughters were so brave to chase their dreams, so full of love for life. May their adventurous spirits continue to inspire us all to live boldly, to treasure every moment, and to never take anything for granted.
From our hearts to yours, we are grieving with you. Your girls will never be forgotten.
With love and deepest condolences,
Belinda
If you would like to support the families of Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, you can do so through a GoFundMe account recently set up in their honour.
More Victims of Suspected Laos Methanol Poisoning Named
In addition to Bianca and Holly, there have been four more confirmed deaths due to methanol poisoning, all linked to the town of Vang Vieng, Laos, including the Nana Backpackers Hostel in according to the state-run Vientiane Times.
The Nana Backpackers Hostel is rated the 3rd best hostel in Vang Vieng on Tripadvisor. One reviewer stated:
Best hostel I have stayed at on my trip so far! Very sociable, free vodka and whisky shots served every evening and Pikachu (the manager) is really helpful. I would definitely recommend staying here, the facilities are great for such a low price. Thank you to the Nana team!
The victims named so far include:
Bottom: Simone White, 28, Holly Bowles, 19
- Holly Bowles, 19, Australia
- Bianca Jones, 19, Australia
- Simone White, 28, UK
-
Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, Denmark
-
Frela Vennervald Sorensen, 21, Denmark
-
James Louis Hutson, 57, USA
Bianca’s father Mark Jones issued a plea on the weekend to ensure his daughter’s death was not in vain.
“I would like to take this opportunity to urge the Laos government to investigate this to the fullest extent, to make sure this incident doesn’t happen again. We can’t have the passing of our daughter … not lead to change to protect others.
Young men and women should be able to travel, create their own life experiences and be safe. We’ll forever miss our beautiful girl and hope her loss of life has not been in vain.”
