Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 27 March 2018

Mexico official: Iowa family died from water heater gas leak

of Tulum was leaking gas. Pech said forensic samples
"Unfortunately, they found had been sent to labs in
the area where the water Mexico City on Monday,
heater was letting gas es- and officials hope to iden-
cape, perhaps because tify the gas within eight to
of a lack of maintenance, 10 days.
perhaps because it was in Iowa officials identified the
use, perhaps because of family as Kevin Sharp, 41;
the age of the equipment," his wife, Amy Sharp, 38,
prosecutor Miguel Angel and their children Sterling,
Pech told the Radio Formu- 12, and Adrianna, 7. They
la station. were from Creston, Iowa.
"In fact, a high concentra- The family was reported
tion of this toxic (gas) was missing by relatives about
found in the room," Pech a week after they left for
said. vacation. Creston police
He described a grisly scene: contacted the U.S. De-
The family was found on Fri- partment of State, and the
day and had been dead bodies were found during
for 36 to 48 hours by that a welfare check at their
time, according to autopsy condo in Tulum, on the Yu-
results. catan Peninsula.
In this undated photo provided by the Quintana Roo Prosecutors Office, a firefighter examines "Some were lying in their The Creston News Adver-
a gas stove in the rented condo where an Iowa couple and their two children died in Tulum, bedrooms, and the chil- tiser newspaper reported
Mexico. Mexican authorities said that autopsies indicate the Iowa couple and their two children dren were playing, one in that the family flew to Can-
died from inhaling toxic gas at the rented condo on Mexico's Caribbean coast, but there was no one part of the room and cun on March 14. Accord-
sign of foul play or suicide. the other in another part of ing to her sister, Amy Sharp
(Quintana Roo PO via AP)
the same room," Pech said. texted their mother the
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A couple and their two chil- media Monday that an in- The autopsies indicate the next day to say they had
prosecutor in Mexico said dren last week. spection over the weekend family died from inhaling reached Tulum, but rela-
Monday that a gas leak in The head prosecutor of revealed that the water toxic gas, but the source tives didn't hear anything
a water heater is suspect- the Caribbean coast state heater at the rented con- or nature of the gas hadn't else.
ed in the death of an Iowa of Quintana Roo told local dominium in the resort town been determined. The sister, Renee Hoyt, said
the Sharps were scheduled
Brazil appeals court: to depart from the Can-
cun airport last Wednes-
Lula da Silva conviction, sentence stands day and fly to St. Louis on
a non-stop flight. The fam-
ily had planned to then
By SARAH DiLORENZO bars. innocence," he told to a millions of Brazilians rose drive about 200 miles (322
DIARLEI RODRIGUES Despite his legal woes, da few thousand people in out of poverty. For others, kilometers) to Danville, Illi-
Associated Press Silva is leading polls for the Francisco Beltrao in Parana he represents widespread nois to watch a basketball
SAO PAULO (AP) — As the October presidential elec- state. "They are the ones corruption in Brazil's halls of game Thursday, Hoyt said.
slow wheels of Brazilian jus- tion, and he is currently who have to prove my power. When the family didn't ar-
tice turn, former President traveling through Brazil's guilt!" Da Silva was convicted last rive in St. Louis, family mem-
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is south to rally his support- Before da Silva arrived, pro- year of trading favors with bers contacted authorities,
inching toward jail. ers. His caravan has been testers threw eggs into the construction company she said.
On Monday, appeals court met by protesters along the crowd, as they have done OAS in return for the prom- Contacted Friday, the
judges unanimously upheld way. at several other sites along ise of a beachfront apart- developer of the condo
their decision to reject da At a rally Monday, he re- the tour. ment. complex where the deaths
Silva's appeal of his convic- peated his contention that That's a sign of how divisive The conviction was upheld occurred declined to com-
tion on corruption charges the charges against him a figure the once-beloved by a group of federal mag- ment.
— a move that brings him are trumped up and meant politician has become. For istrates in January, and they It wouldn't be the first time
one step closer to being to keep him from regaining some, the man universally increased his sentence to that faulty gas connections
barred from the presiden- the presidency. known as Lula is a symbol 12 years and one month in killed tourists in the area.
tial ballot and put behind "I don't have to prove my of the boom years, when prison.q q