3 Americans found dead in Mexico City Airbnb: cause of death unknown. Victims id as Courtez Hall New Orleans teacher and Virginia Beach friends, Kandace Florence & Jordan Marshall.
It was suppose to be a short getaway amongst friends but something tragic happened…
The families of three Americans found dead in a Mexico City Airbnb last week are seeking answers as Mexican authorities say the cause of their deaths continue to remain under investigation.
New Orleans middle school teacher Courtez Hall, 33, and two friends from Virginia were found dead as they were vacationing in Mexico City of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a traditional Mexican holiday to remember the dead.
Hall who taught at KIPP Morial Middle School was much beloved according to NOLA. He was the kind of person you want in your circle,’ long time friend, Lee Smith told the outlet.
Relatives identified the other two deceased individuals as Kandace Florence and Jordan Marshall, both 28, who had attended high school together in Virginia Beach and had remained friends afterward. Marshall was Courtez’s friend, and both he and Florence accompanied Courtez to Mexico, WAVY reported.
‘She wasn’t feeling well, that something wasn’t right’
Florence’s boyfriend said he was on the phone with her the night of October 30 and she told him she wasn’t feeling well, that something wasn’t right. Their call was disconnected, and when he couldn’t get back in touch with her, he called the Airbnb host to request a welfare check. Authorities found the three dead on October 31st.
Both families — and Courtez’s — reported difficulties getting information and retrieving personal belongings, mostly due to language barriers. Marshall’s mother, Jennifer Marshall, went to Mexico City, as did Florence’s sister-in-law Amy Green and brother Chad.
‘To lose your child is one thing, but in a whole other country and having to maneuver language barriers and travel and trying to get his body home, it’s been a lot,’ Jennifer Marshall told WAVY.
‘We thought that going to the embassy first would aid us in that regard, but they didn’t have translators that could accompany us to the various places like the forensics office or police station,’ Green said.
Carbon monoxide poisoning?
Airbnb told Jennifer Marshall that his belongings had been passed along to Mexican authorities, and the bodies are expected back in the United States later this week.
Kandace Florence, an entrepreneur operating a candle business called Glo Through It, would have turned 29 on Thursday.
Of note, the friends deaths comes as Mexico authorities continue to investigate the travails of three siblings traveling from Tijuana and Los Angeles, California who succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning at a Mexico City vacation rental last weekend. The incident left the eldest sibling dead and the other two in critical condition.
While short-term rental companies encourage carbon monoxide detectors to be put in, it’s not required unless mandated by local laws.
While Mexico has encouraged landlords to install the detectors, it’s not mandated.
The US Embassy says it is monitoring the investigation into the deaths of the three friends, but no information has been made available so far.
