Three Americans Found Dead On Mexico Vacation Reportedly Died Of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
The three Americans found dead by police inside an Airbnb in Mexico City on Oct. 30 died from apparent carbon monoxide poisoning, according to Bloomberg citing local autopsy reports.
Security guards at the apartment complex reported smelling gas to the police, the news outlet said, based on a statement from the city prosecutor’s office.
Jordan Marshall, longtime friend Kandace Florence, both 28, of Virginia Beach, and Marshall’s friend Courtez Hall, 33, of New Orleans, were vacationing to celebrate Mexico’s Day of the Dead or Dia de los Muertos, WAVY reported.
According to Bloomberg, accidents and explosions have been reported in Mexico when the use of LPG (liquified petroleum gas) and other gas sources to heat homes and water have resulted in leaks.
Their cause of death was a mystery and left the families searching for answers.
Florence’s boyfriend spoke with her by phone on the night of Oct. 30 when she told him that she started to feel sick, but their line got disconnected before he could find out exactly what was happening, according to WAVY. That’s when he called the Airbnb host to request a welfare check.
Family members traveled to Mexico City, but were frustrated at the failure to get adequate answers. Marshall’s mother, Jennifer Marshall, said that she spent hours at the police station waiting for a translator, the U.S. embassy was closed when they arrived and they couldn’t access the Airbnb rental to retrieve Marshall’s belongings.
“To lose your child is one thing, but in a whole other country and having to maneuver language barriers and travel and trying to get his body home, it’s been a lot,” she said.
Florence’s sister-in-law, Amy Green, and Florence’s eldest brother also encountered obstacles in Mexico.
“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.
Florence’s mother, Freida Florence, said her daughter was an entrepreneur and a creator. She started a candle business in 2020 called Glo Through It, making candles that featured affirmations.
“She was a dreamer, dreamer meaning she wanted to make a difference in the lives of other people,” she told WAVY, adding, “She said don’t go through it, glow through it. We are just glowing through her candles, just knowing that our healing is coming.”
Marshall was a teacher in New Orleans who was passionate about his career. “We’re just glad that he did have that opportunity in his short time to make an impact,” his mother said.
WDSU reported that Hall was a social studies teacher at KIPP Morial School in New Orleans.
“My son was a joyous child,” Hall’s mother, Ceola Hall, told WDSU. “He loved me, he loved his family. He loved to make everyone laugh."
