Anthony Esposito and Amber Antonelli oversaw an Awaken Your Soul Iboga retreat in Costa Rica’s jungle where poor oversight in the remote setting led to a fatal walk. A young Polish woman left camp unsupervised the day after the ceremony while still under Iboga’s lingering afterglow and was later found dead in a nearby river, apparently after losing footing on the steep, slippery bank. The site was connected to Holos Global. The organizers had no containment measures, no boundary enforcement, and no staff presence in terrain that required constant vigilance, allowing her to walk directly into lethal danger.
Costa Rica’s jungle, dense vegetation, fast rivers, uneven ground, wildlife, demands active human oversight during plant-medicine experiences. Iboga’s unregulated status means no Ministry of Health sanitary registration or therapeutic licensing exists, so no legal obligation forces such safeguards; everything depends on the retreat leaders’ choices.
Jungle Setting Sold as Healing, Delivered Hazard
Awaken Your Soul markets its retreats as guided experiences for personal transformation in Costa Rica’s untouched wilderness, often at Holos Global-linked venues that emphasize regenerative nature immersion. Anthony Esposito serves as lead facilitator while Amber Antonelli co-manages the programs.
The raw, wild landscape, waterfalls, rivers cutting through steep valleys, thick undergrowth, promises deep connection. Yet that same landscape becomes unforgiving without boundaries: slippery banks erode underfoot, currents pull quickly, visibility drops at dusk. No retreat rules restricted movement beyond camp. No staff patrolled paths or river edges. No fences, markers, or “stay within sight” policy existed.
She Walked Off Into Uncontrolled Terrain
The day after the ceremony, with Iboga’s afterglow still clouding balance and awareness, she headed toward the river alone. Stephen had warned her bluntly and repeatedly: “If you go into the jungle, you’re gonna fucking die.” He bought her proper shoes for the uneven ground and made her promise multiple times to stay in camp and wear them.
No one redirected her. No staff noticed her departure. Stephen was sidelined on an IV drip treating a severe reaction while the facilitator remained under the medicine’s effects. The team waited until around 9 or 10 p.m. to tell him she was missing, later saying they feared upsetting him further.
Night Search in Jungle Terrain
By the time Stephen knew, hours had passed. Nighttime searches in the dark, animal-filled jungle located her body in the river, apparently after she slipped or misjudged a crossing on the treacherous bank. Stephen later stressed that even minimal containment, keeping people visible, marking safe zones, or assigning lookouts, could have stopped her from reaching that spot.
Aftermath Mired in Logistics and Downplaying
Stephen described negotiating body access amid scattered local morgues. Anthony Esposito reportedly requested $400 for prior massages and Reiki. Retreat messages encouraged others to exclude Iboga from police reports, call it yoga or minor psilocybin. Stephen paid to advance matters, personally funded repatriation to Poland, hired a local lawyer, and informed the mother while Iboga’s afterglow still lingered.
Jungle Negligence as the Core Failure
No movement restrictions. No terrain-specific warnings beyond Stephen’s personal ones. No staff in the jungle layout. No rapid containment when someone wandered. These jungle-level oversights in an unregulated setting created the path to a fatal walk.
Stephen also noted another woman from the same retreat died by suicide six months later, though separate.
Jungle Retreats Demand Terrain-Specific Controls
Remote wilderness venues must enforce location boundaries, visible staff patrols, river-edge restrictions, and immediate missing-person alerts, especially during afterglow phases.
This article is published on GoodDecsions
