Families of Americans who died of apparent carbon monoxide poisoning in Mexico City will sue Airbnb

The heartbroken mothers of three Americans who died this month of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning at an Airbnb in Mexico City said their deaths were easily preventable and announced an upcoming lawsuit against the rental giant.

Speaking publicly together for the first time in an exclusive interview with NBC News on Wednesday, Jennifer Marshall, mother of Jordan Marshall, 28; Freida Florence, mother of Kandace Florence, 28, and Ceola Hall, mother of Courtez Hall, 33.

Mothers say they find it difficult to cope with the death of their children.

Florence said Airbnb should have required its rental units to have working carbon monoxide detectors.

“I can’t understand why my daughter isn’t here today,” she said. “There’s no excuse. There’s no excuse, it’s $30. If I had known, I would have bought it for her.”

Atlanta-based women’s attorney L. Chris Stewart said the Americans died of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a faulty water heater.

The lawsuit, which has yet to be filed, will ask Airbnb to require working carbon monoxide detectors in all of their properties around the world. Stewart said the company had already been sued for this issue and knew it was a problem.

Airbnb regulates guns and parties, so requiring carbon monoxide alarms should be company policy to keep guests safe, the attorney said.

“Those are the three examples of what parents want their kids to be. We lost a grade 12 teacher, a grade seven teacher, an entrepreneur who built a business from scratch. That’s what we These people were helping the next generation,” Stewart said.

Airbnb probably doesn’t require carbon monoxide detectors because the listings would have to be taken down, Stewart said, which would affect the company’s bottom line.

“It’s always about money. They only talk about money, that’s why this lawsuit is coming,” he said.

An Airbnb spokesperson said in a statement: “This is a terrible tragedy, and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones as they mourn such an unimaginable loss. Our priority at this time is to support those affected as authorities investigate what happened, and we stand ready to respond to their requests as much as possible.”

Registration in Mexico City has been suspended and Airbnb has been in contact with the US Embassy about the three deaths, the company said.

Airbnb added that it runs a global detection program, offering smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to all eligible hosts. The company said more than 200,000 hosts worldwide have ordered detectors through the program, and all hosts are encouraged to confirm they have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Marshall said Airbnb needs to do more.

“We will never be able to get our babies back. But we really want to make sure no other family has to deal with this,” she said. “The way we lost our children, I mean, it’s devastating. You go from grief to rage because it could have been so easily avoided.”

Americans were found dead earlier this month at an Airbnb in Mexico City for a trip to celebrate the The day of the Deadaccording to the authorities and the family.

Kandace Florence, of Virginia Beach, Va., was staying with a friend from Marshall High School, also from Virginia Beach, with Marshall’s friend Hall, relatives told NBC News and an NBC affiliate. CORRUGATED of Portsmouth, Virginia.

Investigators believe the trio died of carbon monoxide poisoning, Mexico City prosecutors said.

Marshall, a 12th grade English teacher at Rosenwald Collegiate High School in New Orleans, loved to travel, said his mother, Jennifer Marshall.

“In his short 28 years, we can take comfort in the fact that he traveled and lived a very, very full life,” she said.

The trio were in the city to mark Día de los Muertos, a celebration traditionally held on November 1 and 2 to honor the dead, their relatives said.

Kandace Florence told her boyfriend by phone on Oct. 30 that she was not feeling well, WAVY reported. At one point, the call dropped and Florence’s boyfriend couldn’t reach her again, so he contacted the Airbnb host and asked for a health check on the group, the station reported.

The friends died after three American tourists were found dead in May at a Sandals resort in the Bahamas. Authorities announced in June that they had died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

In a statement, the Royal Bahamas Police said the three victims, identified as Michael Phillips, 68, and Robbie Phillips, 65, of Tennessee; and Vincent Chiarella, 64, of Florida, died of asphyxiation due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

These three Americans were found dead at Sandals Emerald Bay Resort in Great Exuma on May 6.

Police previously said an initial investigation revealed that one of the couples had complained of illness the night before they were found. They had gone to a medical facility, received treatment and then returned to the villa, police said.

It was not clear if the villas had been fitted with carbon monoxide detectors or if they had them, if they worked.

According to Centers for the Control and Prevention of Disasters, Carbon monoxide poisoning is almost entirely preventable. And yet, each year more more than 400 people die in the United States and tens of thousands more are sick.

Often the source is a common device that malfunctions or is misused. But carbon monoxide poisoning can be especially dangerous during power outages, when people use alternative sources of fuel or electricity such as generators.

The gas is particularly dangerous because it is odorless, colorless and tasteless, and it can kill within minutes at high levels. Those who survive may suffer brain damage and other long-term health issues.

Carbon monoxide is produced when insufficient oxygen reaches a combustion source. Furnaces, car engines, stoves, generators, grills, water heaters and clothes dryers are some of the sources that can release carbon monoxide due to improper ventilation, mechanical problems and other problems.

The best way to detect if there are dangerous levels of toxic gas is to have a working carbon monoxide monitor, which will sound an alarm if you are in danger.

First symptoms may include headaches, dizziness and nausea, similar to the flu. At higher exposure levels, it can cause vomiting, weakness, shortness of breath, chest pain, and confusion. Without immediate treatment, people can lose consciousness and die.

A winter storm in Texas in mid-February 2021 resulted in one of the worst carbon monoxide poisoning incidents in recent history, said the experts. At least 11 people died and more than 1,400 residents sought emergency care for carbon monoxide poisoning during the storm, the data showed.

In the United States, most states require carbon monoxide alarms in newly built or remodeled homes, and nearly 30 states require them in some or all existing homes. Cities and counties may also adopt their own requirements. Owners are required to provide them in some states and cities.

During Wednesday’s interview, Hall described his son as a loving person and a “workaholic” whose “life was these students.”

She said the two talked constantly while her son was on his way to school and then at the end of his workday. Hall said she learned of her son’s death on his birthday.

“No, not my son,” Hall said as his reaction. “I was screaming and screaming. … Tell me that’s not true.”