Two American citizens were found dead Tuesday in a hotel room in Mexico, a US State Department spokesperson said.
They have been identified as 28-year-old Abby Lutz and her boyfriend, 41-year-old John Heathco, by Lutz’s stepsister, Gabrielle Slate.
The couple was discovered in the Mexican resort village of El Pescadero in Baja California Sur state, a statement from the state attorney general’s office said.
“They had been sick for a few days. She had gone to the hospital to get an IV and came back to the hotel feeling good,” Slate said, adding that “they had a day of enjoying their trip and doing well and then we were notified yesterday of their passings.”
An autopsy determined the cause of death was poisoning “by a substance to be determined without traces of violence in the body,” the attorney general’s office said.
Authorities were called Tuesday night to the hotel in the Todos Santos district, where they discovered the couple’s bodies.
“We offer our sincerest condolences to the families on their loss, the US State Department spokesperson said. “We are closely monitoring local authorities’ investigation into the cause of death.”
The pair had been dead for approximately 10 to 11 hours, authorities said.
“No evidence of violence or alteration of the scene was found at the location,” the attorney general’s office said.
Henar Gil, the general manager of the Rancho Pescadero hotel, said they are “heartbroken” but are unaware of any threats to guests.
“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 wellbeing,” Gil added. “We are working to care for those who have been impacted and we are working closely with authorities as they conduct their investigation to understand the cause of death.”
Slate has organized a GoFundMe for transportation and funeral costs that has raised more than $9,900.