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Gas leak from water heater killed Iowa family in Mexico, officials say

An inspection revealed the water heater at the Iowa family's rented condo was leaking gas, according to a prosecutor in Mexico.
Credit: Special to the Des Moines Register
Kevin, Amy, Sterling, and Adrianna Sharp of Creston were found dead after being reported missing during their vacation in Mexico. This undated photo shows the family.

A water heater is the source of a gas leak suspected of killing an Iowa family, according to a prosecutor in Mexico.

An inspection over the weekend revealed the water heater at the rented condominium in the resort town of Tulum was leaking gas, the head prosecutor of the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo told local media Monday. Miguel Angel Pech told the Radio Formula station a "high concentration of toxic (gas)" was found in the room.

"Unfortunately, they found the area where the water heater was letting gas escape, perhaps because of a lack of maintenance, perhaps because it was in use, perhaps because of the age of the equipment," prosecutor Miguel Angel Pech told the Radio Formula station.

Kevin Wayne Sharp, 41; Amy Marie Sharp, 38; and their children, Sterling Wayne Sharp, 12; and Adrianna Marie Sharp, 7; were found dead by authorities conducting a welfare check Friday at the Tulum, Mexico, condominium where they were vacationing.

Adrian Martinez, Quintana Roo's director of civil protection, a department that inspects gas and electrical systems, told the Des Moines Register on Monday that the condominium complied with all regulations.

Martinez said about five people were evacuated from the rooms around the affected apartment after the incident, but not the whole building.

Martinez said he couldn't comment further because the investigation is now in the hands of the state attorney's office.

The U.S. Consulate in Mexico informed the family that the source of the leak was either from a gas stove or a water heater, said Jana Weland, Amy Sharp's cousin.

She said the family hasn't been told by Mexican authorities that the water heater ultimately killed the family.

"We have not heard anything," Weland said.

According to autopsy results, the Sharp family had been dead for 36 to 48 hours by the time they were found Friday.

"Some were lying in their bedrooms, and the children were playing, one in one part of the room and the other in another part of the same room," Pech said.

However, Weland said the bodies were in the condominium for longer.

"They kept saying they were only dead for 36-48 hours," Weland said. "We know it was for a week."

The autopsies indicate the family died from inhaling toxic gas, but the nature of the gas hadn't been determined.

Pech said forensic samples had been sent to labs in Mexico City on Monday, and officials hope to identify the gas in the next eight to 10 days.

The family is waiting to finalize funeral arrangements until their bodies are returned to the United States.

Weland said the family hopes to hold the funeral at Southwestern Community College, as they were supporters of the Creston-based school.

"It’s been very stressful, but the consulate’s been good about helping us," Weland said.

The Creston family suffocated after inhaling toxic gases, Mexican authorities said in a news release Saturday.

They had been expected to leave Mexico on Wednesday to fly to the United States.

It wouldn't be the first time that faulty gas connections killed tourists in the area.

In 2010, the explosion of an improperly installed gas line at a hotel in the nearby town of Playa del Carmen killed five Canadian tourists and two Mexicans.

In that case, prosecutors said the heating-gas line, apparently meant to fuel a pool heating unit, was not properly installed or maintained. They claimed a leak from the line may have been set off by a spark from an electric switch or plug.

A judge later dismissed criminal charges against five contractors and employees at the hotel.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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