Common Household Appliance Caused IA Family’s Death In Mexico Officials Say

A water heater is being cited as the source of a gas leak that killed an Iowa family of four, according to a prosecutor in Mexico. The family was vacationing at a rental condominium in the beach community of Tulum when the tragic accident occurred.

The water heater was leaking gas, “maybe from use or lack of maintenance,” said Miguel Angel Pech, head prosecutor of Quintana Roo. Miguel Angel Pech told a Radio Formula station that “a high level” of gas was found in the rented condo where the Creston couple and their two kids was staying. source

An Iowa couple and their two children died from inhaling toxic gas while vacationing in Mexico, local authorities said.

The bodies of Kevin Wayne Sharp; his wife, Amy Marie Sharp; their son, Sterling, 12; and daughter Adrianna, 7, were discovered Friday at a rental condominium in the beach town of Tulum.

The family had been dead for about 36 to 48 hours, the Quintana Roo prosecutor’s office said Saturday. Autopsies showed they suffocated after inhaling toxic gases, but it’s unclear what type of gas led to their deaths, the prosecutor’s office added. source

There were no signs of foul play or suicide, officials said.

(Original story:) An Iowa family of four that had been reported missing by family members after they failed to show up for a sporting event, were found dead in Mexico.

Police confirmed the deaths of Kevin, Amy, Sterling and Adrianna Sharp of Creston, Iowa. Authorities have not said how the family died but said no foul play discovered.

Their bodies were found in a condominium in Akumal, Mexico, which is near Tulum on the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, according to the U.S. State Department. An investigation is ongoing.source

Autopsies are being performed in Mexico, according to the Des Moines Register.