California couple John Heathco and Abby Lutz dead of ‘intoxication’ at Mexican resort

California couple John Heathco and Abby Lutz dead of ‘intoxication’ at Mexican resort

Two Americans were found dead in their hotel room at a luxury resort in Baja California Sur, Mexico, according to news reports.

Paramedics responded to a report of unconscious hotel guests and found the two dead of suspected gas inhalation, the Associated Press reported.

The victims were found around 9 p.m. Tuesday at Hyatt’s Rancho Pescadero in El Pescadero, a coastal community between Todos Santos and Los Cabos, according to ABC News.

They were identified by the Baja California Sur attorney general’s office as John Heathco, 41, and Abby Lutz, 22, ABC News reported, adding that Lutz is from Newport Beach.

The attorney’s general office said in a statement to ABC News that the cause of death was “intoxication by substance to be determined.”

Authorities have not confirmed the cause of death with Rancho Pescadero, hotel general manager Henar Gil said in a statement, calling the situation “a terrible tragedy.”

“The safety and security of our guests and colleagues is always a top priority,” Gil said. “We can confirm there was no evidence of violence related to this situation, and we are not aware of any threat to guests’ safety or well-being.”

The U.S. State Department did not immediately return requests for comment.

The attorney’s general office said the victims had been dead for about 10 or 11 hours when they were found, ABC reported. There were no signs of foul play on the victims’ bodies, the attorney general’s office said.

Deaths stemming from gas leaks from appliances and faulty lines are common across Mexico and have been linked to tourist deaths in the past.

In October, three Americans were found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning at their Airbnb while on vacation in Mexico City.

In March 2022, an explosion sparked by a gas leak killed two people and injured 18 in the tourist town of Playa del Carmen. In 2018, a family of four from Iowa was killed by gas poisoning in a condominium in a resort town an hour from Cancun.

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