Woman from Chicago and sister found dead in African island villa

A Chicago woman and her sister, on vacation on a tropical African island, were found dead in their resort villa last week.

The bodies of Annie Korkki, 37, of Denver, and Robin Korkki, 42, of Chicago, were found last week in Seychelles, an archipelago nation off Africa’s east coast in the Indian Ocean.

Their brother, Chris Korkki, says his family has been given little information on how his two sisters died. He said the family has learned nothing so far through official channels about his sisters’ deaths. He said his mother and brother have traveled to Seychelles for answers and to make arrangements to bring his sisters’ bodies back to the U.S.

“All I know is my mom and brother are working with local officials and the U.S. Embassy,” Korkki told The Associated Press on Thursday, adding that embassy employees have been supportive.

Robin Korkki worked for HC Tech, a trading firm with its principal office in Chicago. She previously had worked at Allston Trading in Chicago, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Emails sent by the AP to police and the foreign ministry in Seychelles weren’t immediately returned Thursday. Phone calls to the Seychelles foreign ministry and police rang unanswered.

The sisters’ bodies were found on Sept. 22 at the Maia Luxury Resort and Spa.

Seychelles police spokesman Jean Toussaint told the Seychelles Nation newspaper that the butler assigned to the sisters’ villa found their door locked at 8:45 a.m. on that day, just as he had left it the night before.

Hours later, when no one had left the room, police were summoned, and officers found the bodies.

“From the observation done by our police officers, there was no disturbance in the room and the two sisters were found unresponsive on the same bed,” Toussaint told the Seychelles newspaper, adding that there was no sign of violence.

Toussaint said the sisters had been drinking the day before and were helped to their room by hotel staff about 8:15 p.m. Sept. 21.

Chris Korkki said his sisters were adventurous women who wanted to experience life to the fullest.

“They were frequent travelers both domestically and internationally,” he said. “They were kind and generous and compassionate, and were wonderful people that had a positive impact on a huge number of people.”