18 June 2023 , 11:33
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The Mexican resort where two Americans were found dead ignored gas leak problems and disabled carbon monoxide detectors so they wouldn't disturb guests, employees have said.
The former night manager at the luxury Rancho Pescadero resort said carbon monoxide detectors were heard frequently over a period of three months last year - and were switched off after repeated complaints.
Ricardo Carbajal believes this was probably because of leaks in a system that delivers gas to outdoor fire pits at the $600-a-night hotel.
Mr Carbajal, who ceased working at the resort in March due to a pay dispute, told the Los Angeles Times: "They knew there were problems with gas leaks.
"Everyone was aware of the alarms and that the detectors were off."
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John Heathco (Facebook)
Abby Lutz (facebook/Abby Lutz)Abby Lutz and John Heathco went to the hospital just days before they were found dead inside their hotel room in the Baj Peninsula, Mexico.
Three employees spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity and said the hotel managers ignored complaints about the strong smell of gas for months.
“Housekeepers reported gas leaks, security reported gas leaks, maintenance workers reported gas leaks,” one of them said, adding that a housekeeper cleaning their room fell ill from suspected gas poisoning.
Abby and John were in hospital in the days before they died (facebook/Abby Lutz)
Abby's family said the hotel had not reached out to them (facebook/Abby Lutz)Abby, 28, and John, 41, died from “intoxication by substance yet to be determined,” officials said at the time of their deaths.
There was no sign of violence found on the couple's bodies and it is estimated they had been dead for around 10 to 11 hours before they were found by police.
Lutz’s uncle, Chad Richeson, said neither the hotel nor Hyatt has reached out to the family.
In a statement, the family said: "It is our hope that more information will come to light to explain what happened to Abby, and why.
"This information will help us gain closure and may prevent this type of incident from happening in the future. We don’t wish for anyone else to go through this tragedy."
There were renovations in the Mexican resort last year, owned by Hyatt, an hour away from Cabo San Lucas.
The Mirror has reached out to Hyatt for comment.
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Hyatt officials said previously they do not believe the leaks were related to problems with the hotel infrastructure or a gas leak.
Fernando Valencia Sotelo and Grisel Valencia Sotelo, firefighters who responded to a call of the dead bodies on Tuesday, were reportedly treated at a hospital on Friday after falling unwell on entering the room.
Medics are assessing the pair, who are siblings, to see if any neurological damage occurred.
Also on Friday, hotel employees gathered outside the hotel to protest.
One employee said: "We are indignant that we reported this, and this tragedy still happened."
Guests of the resort also said they complained to staff about the smell of gas.
Alexander Coughlin, a real estate agent from San Francisco, said he asked twice to be moved and a waiter agreed with him that the odour was strong.