Houston mom outraged surf resort remained opened after investigation into 'brain-eating amoeba'
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Houston mother is outraged after she says a park near Waco did not warn her family about water testing going on Friday.
"It's unbelievable. I cannot even express in words how disgusting it is that they let children in the water," she said.
The woman, who did not want to be identified, said that about 30 people were at the park with her family, and no one realized that an investigation was ongoing.
"I am scared to death. I've been monitoring (my kids). I mean, we packed up our bags and flew back home so we could be close to Texas Children's (Hospital)," she said.
The BSR Cable Park in Waco is currently closed to the general public after several agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control, launched an investigation into the facility after the death of a 29-year-old New Jersey man.
On Sept. 21, Fabrizio Stabile tested positive for a deadly brain-eating amoeba called Naegleria Fowleri.
The amoeba, according to the CDC, has a fatality rate of more than 97 percent, and only four out of 143 people infected in the U.S between 1962 and 2017 have survived.
RELATED: Texas water park closed after surfer dies from 'brain eating amoeba'
According to a GoFundMe page, the man was mowing his lawn on Sept. 16 when he started to experience a massive headache, which lasted into the next day.
His condition quickly worsened to a point where, according to the post, he could no longer move or speak.
The man reportedly visited the BSR Cable Park in early September.
The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District is leading the investigation and confirms that CDC visited the park on Thursday to conduct water testing.
Kelly Craine, CDC spokesperson, stated that there was a mutual agreement between the department and the owner of the park to close down to the general public on Friday.
Stuart Parsons, the owner of the park, disputes the timeline telling Eyewitness News that he met with the health department on Friday and shut down the park to the public on Saturday.
In addition, Parsons provided this statement:
"BSR Surf Resort values the safety of our guests from Texas and all over the United States and we strive to provide the safest environment for our patrons to enjoy all of our facilities. We test and chlorinate our water. We will continue to comply with requests from the local health department and CDC (Center for Disease Control) investigation of the passing of Fabrizio "Fab" Stabile. Our hearts and prayers are with his family, friends, and the New Jersey surf community during this difficult time. BSR Surf Resort operates a state of the art artificial man made wave. We are in compliance with the CDC guidelines and recommendations concerning naegleria fowleri. Naegleria fowleri causes an extremely rare disease with only 145 - 150 recorded cases within the last 65 years. This amoeba is found in freshwater lakes, rivers, and ponds across the south but the disease is a one out of millions occurrence."
The results of the investigation are pending and the park remains closed to the general public.
