Three Americans found dead at a rented apartment in Mexico City last month likely died of gas inhalation, police said Tuesday.
The city police department said security guards at the apartment building called after detecting an “intense smell of gas in an apartment” in an upscale neighborhood on the city’s west side. Three tourists were found unresponsive on Oct. 30 and port-mortem examinations suggest they died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
A State Department spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY the tourists were U.S. citizens who were visiting Mexico.
“We are closely monitoring local authorities’ investigation into the cause of death. We stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance,” the statement said. “Out of respect for the privacy of the families, we have nothing further to add at this time.”
Family members identified the tourists as Kandace Florence, 28, and New Orleans teacher Jordan Marshall, 28, according to WAVY, which first reported the deaths. Deanna Reddick, principal of KIPP Morial Middle School in New Orleans, confirmed the death of Courtez Hall, a 7th-grade history teacher, and said counselors would provide support to students and staff.
Relatives said the group rented an Airbnb in Mexico City to celebrate Day of the Dead last month.
On Oct. 30, Florence, who founded a candle business in 2020, told her boyfriend she was feeling sick and he contacted her Airbnb host to conduct a welfare check, WAVY reported. Authorities later found Florence, Marshall and Hall dead, according to the outlet.
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“This is a terrible tragedy, and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones as they grieve such an unimaginable loss,” Elle Wye, a spokesperson for Airbnb, said in a statement to USA TODAY. “Our priority right now is supporting those impacted as the authorities investigate what happened, and we stand ready to assist with their inquiries however we can.”
Relatives of Florence, including her sister-in-law Amy Green said they have had trouble getting information about the cause of the deaths.
“We thought that going to the embassy first would aid us in that regard, but they didn’t have translators that could accompany us to the various places like the forensics office or police station,” Green told WAVY.
Ceola Hall also said she’s gotten little information on how her son died, WDSU reported.
“It’s been so hard,” Hall told the outlet. “We tried calling back over there for the funeral homes. Because of the language barrier and stuff you cannot get anything through or really understand.”
Jennifer Marshall told WTKR her family traveled to Mexico but is still waiting for information on how her son died. She said his body has been returned to Virginia.
“The Mexican police were not very forthcoming with information,” she said. “Also, the language barrier was incredibly difficult, as well.”
Marshall’s funeral is scheduled for Friday, according to WAVY and a Virginia funeral home website.
Tourists dying of gas inhalation has been a persistent problem in Mexico and other vacation destinations. Police said three Americans who were staying at a Bahamas Sandals resort in May died due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
In 2018, a gas leak in a water heater caused the deaths of an American couple and their two children in the resort town of Tulum, south of Playa del Carmen.
Contributing: The Associated Press