Two American Citizens Found Dead in Luxury Hotel Room in Mexico: Officials

Aerial view of a Mexican beach as seen in a file photo. Elizabeth Ruiz/AFP via Getty Images

Two American citizens were found dead inside their hotel room in Mexico’s Baja California on Tuesday, officials confirmed.

The bodies of two people were found at the Hotel Rancho Pescadero in El Pescadero at around 9 p.m. local time, officials told ABC News. They had no vital signs, authorities confirmed.

The Baja California Sur Attorney General’s Office said that John Heathco, 41, and Abby Lutz, 22, were identified as the victims. Lutz, the office said, was from Newport Beach, California.

Their respective causes of death were “intoxication by substance to be determined,” the office told ABC News in a statement Wednesday. Other details were not provided.

Officials with the Hotel Rancho Pescadero, which is owned by Hyatt, confirmed their deaths to The Daily Beast. The Epoch Times has contacted the hotel for comment.

“We are truly heartbroken by this terrible tragedy,” hotel manager Henar Gil told the outlet. “Our hearts are with the impacted families and loved ones during this unimaginable loss.”

Gil added that there was no evidence of “violence” in connection to their deaths and officials were “not aware of any threat to guests’ safety or wellbeing.” He added, “We are working to care for those who have been impacted and we are working closely with authorities as they conduct their investigation to understand the cause of death.”

Earlier reports indicated that Lutz and Heathco died due to inhalation of gas. Police officials told The Associated Press that paramedics received a report that the two Americans were unconscious in their hotel room but were dead before the time paramedics arrived, and the suspected cause was gas.

There have been several cases of such deaths in Mexico due to poisoning by carbon monoxide or other gases. Such gases are often produced by improperly vented or leaky water heaters and stoves.

In October, three U.S. citizens were found dead at a rented apartment in Mexico, apparently victims of gas inhalation. The Mexico City police department said the three were found unresponsive on Oct. 30 in an upscale neighborhood. They had apparently rented the dwelling for a short visit. Post-mortem examinations suggested the two men and one woman died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

In 2018, a gas leak in a water heater caused the deaths of an American couple and their two children in the resort town of Tulum, south of Playa del Carmen. An inspection revealed that the water heater at the rented condominium was leaking gas. Prosecutors said the gas leak was perhaps caused by a lack of maintenance or the age of the equipment.

In 2010, the explosion of an improperly installed gas line at a hotel in Playa del Carmen killed five Canadian tourists and two Mexicans.

In that case, prosecutors said the gas line, apparently meant to fuel a pool heating unit, was not properly installed or maintained. They said gas leaking from the line may have been ignited in an explosion by a spark from an electric switch or plug.

Bahamas Deaths

Outside of Mexico, three Americans were found dead at a Sandals hotel in the Bahamas in June, and authorities later determined that their cause of death was due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

“We can officially confirm that all three of the victims died as a result of asphyxiation due to carbon monoxide poisoning,” the Royal Bahamas Police Force said in a statement to news outlets last summer. “This matter remains under active investigation.”

In that incident, Michael Phillips, 68; Robbie Phillips, 65; and Vincent Chiarella, 64; were found unresponsive at Sandals Emerald Bay in Great Exuma on May 6, 2022. Chiarella’s wife, Donnis, was hospitalized in critical condition and was discharged from a Miami-area hospital weeks after that.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.