Cause of death determined for 3 Americans found dead in Airbnb while vacationing in Mexico

By Judy J. Beasley Last updated Dec 27, 2022

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Police in Mexico City say they believe three U.S. citizens found dead in a rented apartment were victims of gas inhalation.

The city’s police department said Tuesday that the three men were found unresponsive on Oct. 30 in an upscale neighborhood on the city’s west side. They had apparently rented the accommodation for a short visit.

Post-mortem examinations suggested the two men and one woman died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Gas is often produced by poorly vented or leaking gas water heaters and stoves.

Police said building security officers called “after detecting an intense smell of gas in an apartment.”

Police did not give the hometowns of the victims, but local media reported that one was from New Orleans and the other two from Virginia, and were traveling to Mexico for the Nov. 1-2 vacation. the day of the Dead.

Tourists dying from gas inhalation is a persistent problem in Mexico, where proper gas line installations, vents and monitoring devices are often lacking.

In March, a gas tank exploded at a beachfront restaurant on the Mexican resort town of Playa del Carmen, killing two restaurant workers and injuring 18 people.

In 2018, a gas leak in a water heater caused the death of an American couple and their two children in the seaside resort of Tulum, south of Playa del Carmen.

An inspection revealed that the water heater in the rented condominium had a gas leak. Prosecutors said the gas leak was possibly caused by 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 intended to power 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 a light switch or electrical outlet.