Mystery after family of four found dead at luxury resort in Mexico
A family of four, who had been reported missing, has been found dead in mysterious circumstances at a luxury resort in Mexico.
The bodies of Kevin Wayne Sharp, his wife Amy Marie Sharp, son Sterling, 12, and daughter Adrianna, 7, were found in holiday accommodation in the coastal town of Akumal near Tulum on Friday, Creston Police Department said in a statement.
It’s not known how the family, from the US state of Iowa, died. According to police there were no signs of foul play, American news outlet KCCI reported.
Local reports in Mexico said investigators are trying to determine if food poisoning or a gas leak were responsible.
In a Facebook post from Ashli Peterson, a relative, the family left the US on March 15 for Tulum, Mexico. They were meant to depart Cancun on Wednesday for St Louis, then arrive in Illinois on Thursday for a basketball game.
When the Sharp family didn't show, relatives filed a missing person’s report. Ms Peterson said the family told extended members they had arrived at the resort safely on March 15 but had not heard anything from them since.
Mrs Sharp’s sister, Renee Hoyt, told Creston News Advertiser both her sister and husband had been in touch with friends and family confirming they had arrived at the holiday home on March 15.
She said Mr Sharp texted a friend named Travis Anderson at about 5pm local time. Mr Anderson texted back at 11.30pm and there was no response.
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Ms Hoyt said the family were normally active Facebook users and it wasn’t like them not to post pictures when on holiday. She added none of the family’s phones appeared to be turned on.
Jane Weland, another relative, told CNN the last communication she had with the family was a picture Sterling posted of his feet by the water on Snapchat. It was also posted on March 15.
On Friday, Ms Peterson updated her post confirming the deaths, adding, “there was no foul play”.
The Mexico Tourism Board said in a statement that preliminary findings found “no signs of violence or struggle”. An investigation is ongoing.
The holiday home the family stayed in has been named as the Grand Bahia Principe, according to Mexican news outlet Noticaribe.
The resort, rated four and a half stars by Trip Advisor, is one of 24 luxury resorts in the Bahia Principe group.
Kimberly Adams, an Iowa newlywed who just returned from the Grand Bahia Principe, described the accommodation as “literally straight off a postcard” and said news of the family’s death was a “shocking thing".
She added she saw parents and kids “essentially living their best life” there.
