Police in the Mexican town of El Pescadero in the country's Baja California peninsula said Wednesday they found the lifeless bodies of two Americans in a hotel room.
According to police, paramedics received a report Tuesday of the Americans being unconscious in their room. They were pronounced dead at the scene by the time paramedics arrived, with the cause of death suspected as inhalation of gas.
The Baja California Sur Attorney General's Office has identified the victims as John Heathco, 41, and Abby Lutz, 22. Their cause of death was alleged to be "intoxication by substance to be determined." The man and woman had been dead for about 10 or 11 hours when they were found.
However, US officials said they were aware of the case but could not comment at this point due to privacy concerns.
Carbon Monoxide: A Menace in Mexico
Carbon monoxide poisoning due to gas leaks has become a common cause of death in Mexico, with several cases recorded in the country in recent years. Such gasses were often produced by improperly vented or leaky water heaters and stoves. In addition, proper gas line installations, vents, and monitoring devices in Mexico were often lacking.
In October last year, three Americans were found dead at a rented apartment in Mexico City, apparently victims of carbon monoxide poisoning. An American family of three also died from a gas leak in a water heater in Tulum, south of Playa del Carmen, in 2018.
Five Canadian tourists and two Mexicans also died due to the explosion of an improperly installed gas line at a hotel in Playa del Carmen in 2010.
