The heartbroken partner of a father-of-three who died after he was dared to eat a gecko at a party has broken her silence about the incident and revealed she holds fears for her children.
David Dowell, tragically died just ten days after a Christmas party on December 1, 2018, where he ate the gecko.
He was diagnosed with a salmonella infection at Brisbane’s Mater Hospital on December 4. Doctors initially thought it was caused by chicken.
When he arrived at the healthcare facility, David was in ‘absolute agony’ and was bloated, resembling someone who was six months pregnant.
Mr Dowell leaves behind his partner of 15 years, Allira Bricknell and three daughters – Alissa, Claudia and Sage.
Mr Dowell leaves behind his partner of 15 years, Allira Bricknell (pictured together) and three daughters – Alissa, Claudia and Sage
David Dowell, 35 (pictured), died 10 days after a Christmas party on December 1, 2018
He was diagnosed with a salmonella infection at Brisbane’s Mater Hospital on December 4. Doctors initially thought it was caused by chicken, but it was the gecko (stock image)
Talking to 7news.com.au, Ms Bricknell paid tribute to her partner, calling him the ‘best dad’ and the ‘life of the party’.
Ms Bricknell explained that she didn’t actually watch her partner eat the gecko.
‘It was a dare but I don’t know if it was a serious one, I was paying attention but not really because it was a Christmas party and the kids were invited,’ she said.
Ms Bricknell said the attention on her partner’s death left her ‘distressed’ because of how he was being remembered.
‘I didn’t want him remembered like this, I want to remember the happy times. I am really concerned about our three children, I want to protect them, I don’t want people harassing us because of this,’ she said.
Ms Bricknell described Mr Dowell as the ‘best person’ she had ever met and the ‘best dad’ to her children.
‘He was a great person, he was the best person I have ever met, he was the best dad to our children He was like a big kid, he was the joker… the life of the party,’ she said.
David Dowell, tragically died just ten days after a Christmas party on December 1, 2018, where he ate the gecko
The heartbroken partner of father-of-three David Dowell (pictured) who died after he was dared to eat a gecko at a party has broken her silence about the incident
Mr Dowell’s sister told The Brisbane Times it was very confronting to see her brother in the state he was in, as he was vomiting green fluid, passing black urine and having fluid on his lungs.
‘When I went up and saw him, he was just in absolute agony,’ Hannah said.
Last Tuesday, on what would have been his 35th birthday, his family gathered beside the Logan River, where he often went fishing, to hold a vigil in his honour.
Hannah said her brother was ‘a great person’ and ‘one of a kind.’
Mr Dowell’s family are still searching for answers after hearing conflicting accounts from those who were at the party.
According to Hannah, doctors can’t be sure the alleged dare was the reason for Mr Dowell’s death because no one saw him actually eat the lizard.
Ms Bricknell (pictured with her late partner) paid tribute to her partner, calling him the ‘best dad’
She said while her brother may have been encouraged to complete the dare, he could potentially have indicated he was going to eat the gecko but then threw it away.
‘There has been no evidence that he actually ate it because there was: ‘Oh yeah I saw him eat it’. And then: ‘No, I didn’t see him eat it’,’ Hannah said.
Despite speculation he ate the lizard, Hannah said Mr Dowell’s family may never know for sure given no one who attended the party has confirmed it.
University of Queensland school of agriculture and food sciences deputy head Mark Turner said the gecko theory could have led to a Salmonella infection.
Mr Turner said there are a number of warm and cold-blooded animals that carry the Salmonella bacteria that can lead to poisoning, including snakes, frogs and geckos.
‘It’s possible that if the gecko was eaten, as it was being digested, the salmonella was released, but I have never heard of anything like this before,’ Mr Turner said.
Mr Dowell’s family have since claimed he suffered organ failure because he ‘basically rotted from the inside out’.
Ms Bricknell explained that she didn’t actually watch her partner eat the gecko, and said she didn’t know if the dare was serious