Americans who died in Mexico hotel room were killed by ‘undetermined substance’
The two Americans found dead in a luxury hotel room earlier this week died from ‘intoxication by an undetermined substance,’ an autopsy showed.
On Tuesday, staff at the Hotel Rancho Pescadero in Baja California Sur discovered the bodies of two American tourists unconscious in their room.
Paramedics were unable to revive the couple, who were dead by the time they arrived, the Baja California Sur Attorney General’s Office said.
They were identified as Abby Lutz, 28, and John Heathco, 40, both from Newport Beach, California. They were had been dead for about 11-12 hours before they were found by hotel staff, the attorney general’s office estimated.
Local police said their bodies showed no obvious signs of trauma, and it appeared the couple died from gas inhalation. A recently completed autopsy revealed the couple suffered from ‘intoxication by an undetermined substance.’
It is unclear what substance the couple ingested.
Paramedics who responded to Heath and Lutz’s room said told ABC News that they also experienced ‘intoxication symptoms’ at the scene. These included ‘hypoxia and racing heartbeat,’ and they checked themselves in to the hospital after leaving.
On Wednesday, Lutz’s family members began a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to bring her body back to the US.
In a post on the fundraiser, family members revealed Lutz and Heathco checked themselves into the hospital only days before, believing they had food poisoning.
They also said investigators told them ‘improper venting’ and ‘carbon monoxide poisoning’ could be the cause of their deaths.
The Hotel Rancho Pescadero is a high end resort in Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. The hotel said safety and security of guests was their ‘top priority.’
‘We are truly heartbroken by this terrible tragedy,’ said Henar Gil, the general manager of the hotel. ‘Our hearts are with the impacted families and loved ones during this unimaginable loss.’
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