3 friends found dead on Airbnb while vacationing in Mexico

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WTKR) – Two Virginia families search for answers as they mourn the death of their loved ones, who were found dead in a Mexico vacation rental with a third friend.

Kandace Florence and Jordan Marshall, both 28, grew up together in Virginia Beach as best friends and Kellam High School graduates. The two were vacationing in Mexico City with another friend, Courtez Hall. He and Jordan Marshall were both teachers in New Orleans.

But their families say all three were found dead inside their Airbnb, with word spreading on social media over Halloween.

Best friends Kandace Florence and Jordan Marshall, both 28, were found dead in their Airbnb while vacationing in Mexico City. A third friend, Courtez Hall (not pictured), was also found dead.(Source: Family Photos, WTKR via CNN)

“I saw my brother’s name and I read it. My heart sank and the hardest part was breaking the news to my mother,” said Jordan Marshall’s sister, Jasmine Marshall.

“My son called me… He must have told me three times, ‘Kandace is no longer with us. Kandace is no longer with us. Kandace’ – and I just lost it,” Kandace Florence’s mother, Frieda Florence, said.

Members of both families have traveled to Mexico to try to get answers, but say it has been a difficult process. The families say Mexican authorities have not said how the three died, one of many unanswered questions they have.

“Possibly suffocation from carbon monoxide but we are not 100% sure. We have no records of his autopsy which was carried out a day or two after his death,” said the father of Kandace Florence, Kelvin Florence.

The Marshall family says Jordan’s body has just returned home to Virginia, and the Florence family says Kandace’s body will be returned soon. Instead of celebrating his 29th birthday on Thursday, they will have a candlelight vigil.

“It’s heartbreaking. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone,” Frieda Florence said.

As they await answers, the Marshall and Florence families take comfort in knowing that their loved ones have made a difference in the lives of others.

“Hearing his students tell us how much they loved him and how much he meant to them, it made us feel so good and so proud of him,” said Jasmine Marshall.

“She wanted to do great things in life. I fathered from afar, and I stood back and watched my daughter and saw the things that she was doing. And she was on her way,” Kelvin Florence said.

The US State Department has confirmed the deaths of three Americans in Mexico and said it is closely monitoring the investigation into their causes of death.

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