Emily May Parker Death, Update

Emily Parker and Matthew Hawkins

Further information has emerged about death of American Emily May Parker who died whilst swimming with dolphins in Marlborough Sound. The tourist died just weeks after a government led review of the adventure tourism industry was launched following the death of British woman Emily Jordan who died whilst river boarding.

According to an article published in the Marlborough Express neither Maritime NZ nor the Department of Labour will be making any investigation into Ms Paker's death. Even though the coroner's investigation has yet to be completed they believe that her death was from "natural causes" and that it was a now a "police matter".

Also, in a worrying development, information has been released suggesting that her boyfriend, Matthew Hawkins (who was on the trip with her and his mother) " waved a multitool (a pocket knife) at paramedics when it became apparent they could not save her." Apparently the tool had been used to cut open her wetsuit. Just why this information has been given to the public is a mystery as it seems to serve no useful purpose, no doubt all will become clear when the results of the police investigation (if any) are revealed.


As previously mentioned, it seems that Ms Parker may have died from a cardiac arrest, as reported by the Denver Post who also said that no criminal investigation was likely to be made.

The Marlborough Express had already reported that the owner of Dolphin Ecowatch Tours, Dan Engelhaupt with whom Ms Parker had been swimming, said "He was now looking to buy a defibrillator for the tour boat, though he did not know if that would have saved the woman." The skipper of a ferry had offered him the use of one but was too far away to be used in time, but he did use oxygen that was rushed over from workers at nearby  New Zealand King Salmon Te Pangu .