Mexico - Arlington TX Firefighter Elijah Snow, wed anniversary found dead at Cancun resort, Jul 2021

[anonypotomous]

I think we'd need to know how far the drop was from the window to the interior floor. It's typical in Mexico to have high interior windows, especially in a bathroom where there's never an inbuilt fan.

So if I were climbing into a window where the floor was at lower level than outside, I wouldn't go head first, I'd plan to land on my feet.

BTW, here's a video of a firefighter going through a very small space: but it's on level ground, so gravity isn't an issue.
Firefighter squeezes through ladder for rescue

Great points. That's a terrific video example seeing someone squeeze through a tight space. Certainly he knew how to do this and perhaps thought he'd be able to.

 

[Satchie]

It's such an odd little remote window!!
Also, I'm assuming there was glass and a frame as well but that was pulled out along with him? Can't imagine it just being a hole in the wall, literally. Or was it?

RSBM

IMO no, in that climate it wouldn't have glass or a frame if the bathroom was for employees, it would just be a hole in the concrete. If it provided access to anything or any place thieves might want to get to, it would have had bars.

ETA, tho looking closer at that photo you linked, it did perhaps have some kind of frame that was removed to get him out.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

Two feet? 24 inches? His shoulders certainly were bigger than that! He was a broad shouldered fit fireman. That's a heck of a wedge through. I mean even getting his shoulders through would have required a LOT of shimmying. I can see how all of the bruising would happen if he was struggling and could not get in or out. Heck, my husband has a lean runner/yoga build, and I don't even think he could fit.

Remember that a 24" x 24" window is considerably bigger along the diagonal.

That video of the firefighter going through the ladder is great.

I noticed he went through with one arm over his head and the other not. Maybe that is the mistake ES made -- because if both arms were outside the window but there was nothing within reach to push on, but it was too snug a fit to withdraw his arms back to his sides, he couldn't maneuver himself back inside the room once he realized he couldn't get all the way out. MOO

 

[SeekingJana]

Remember that a 24" x 24" window is considerably bigger along the diagonal.

That video of the firefighter going through the ladder is great.

I noticed he went through with one arm over his head and the other not. Maybe that is the mistake ES made -- because if both arms were outside the window but there was nothing within reach to push on, but it was too snug a fit to withdraw his arms back to his sides, he couldn't maneuver himself back inside the room once he realized he couldn't get all the way out. MOO

Yes, the fireman used one arm to pull and the other to push through separately, and his shoulders were rotated so they fit through the space. He was fit and trim from chest down under the suit, for sure. A man's shoulders can be as wide as his chest/ abdomen, and if so, can be a guide as to whether the mid-section will fit through a space when caving or otherwise being a weekend warrior.

I don't know how much space is between each ladder rung. Is it more than 24 inches? There's no good frame of reference except the emergency pack, which barely fit but looked small on the firefighter.

Very interesting video and challenge. I am very impressed that the guy is this flexible. I expect he, and other firefighters, spends time doing yoga.

 

[PoppyJune]

My guess- he was inside that hotel, stumbled into the wrong place looking for an exit or maybe he was looking for a bathroom. Door locked behind him and he couldn’t get out, maybe lock or door handle was broken…maybe simply too drunk to open the door. So he tried the window to escape and then couldn’t make it work. Extremely tragic.

 

[SeekingJana]

I think we'd need to know how far the drop was from the window to the interior floor. It's typical in Mexico to have high interior windows, especially in a bathroom where there's never an inbuilt fan [ETA a typical grotty Mexican/ employee bathroom, I mean, not a fancy hotel bathroom that would have a fan].

So if I were climbing into a window where the floor was at lower level than outside, I wouldn't go head first, I'd plan to land on my feet.

BTW, here's a video of a firefighter going through a very small space: but it's on level ground, so gravity isn't an issue.
Firefighter squeezes through ladder for rescue

Great video, illustrates technique well, and flexibility.
Still, not to belabor the point, but he went head first even when slithering across the floor.

I think maybe there's a personal fear of putting one's head into a space first at work here, because it's the way up, the way into, and it's how we crawl in small spaces, too. Feet first is for the fireman's pole, and for jumping down and out, of course.

 

[Arkay]

I don’t drink and am not a fireman. I’ve been to Mexico but not to Cancun.
Therefore, my knowledge of the environment is not well-honed, but I cannot imagine a scenario where kidnappers, cartel members and so on would kidnap someone and leave him in a place where he was sure to be discovered. Even if it was a grungy employee bathroom in a fairly inaccessible area.

It would be much simpler, having kidnapped someone, to drown them in the ocean with the body never found. If this was a kidnapping, as the family believes, was there a ransom demand?

IMO, as Snow was a fireman accustomed to going through windows, perhaps in his drunken state he hallucinated that there was a fire somewhere and some instinct kicked in to save someone?

My curiosity at this point is about the bathroom door being locked, although his body seemed to be crawling out, not in. Perhaps he had locked it intending to go to the toilet and then got muddled trying to get out.

We will likely never know what prompted EJ, but I feel terrible for his wife and children. And his parents. I can understand why they can’t grasp at the moment that it was a terrible accident due to intoxication.

 

[Synergizer Bunny]

Two feet? 24 inches? His shoulders certainly were bigger than that! He was a broad shouldered fit fireman. That's a heck of a wedge through. I mean even getting his shoulders through would have required a LOT of shimmying. I can see how all of the bruising would happen if he was struggling and could not get in or out. Heck, my husband has a lean runner/yoga build, and I don't even think he could fit.

If he went through at a diagonal angle, he could have fit. I just don't know how he ended up at that resort and at that particular bathroom.

It doesn't make sense to me. How could a drunk person on his first night of vacation unfamiliar with his resort much less the one next door make his way to this bathroom window?

 

[insearchoflight]

I don’t drink and am not a fireman. I’ve been to Mexico but not to Cancun.
Therefore, my knowledge of the environment is not well-honed, but I cannot imagine a scenario where kidnappers, cartel members and so on would kidnap someone and leave him in a place where he was sure to be discovered. Even if it was a grungy employee bathroom in a fairly inaccessible area.

It would be much simpler, having kidnapped someone, to drown them in the ocean with the body never found. If this was a kidnapping, as the family believes, was there a ransom demand?

IMO, as Snow was a fireman accustomed to going through windows, perhaps in his drunken state he hallucinated that there was a fire somewhere and some instinct kicked in to save someone?

My curiosity at this point is about the bathroom door being locked, although his body seemed to be crawling out, not in. Perhaps he had locked it intending to go to the toilet and then got muddled trying to get out.

We will likely never know what prompted EJ, but I feel terrible for his wife and children. And his parents. I can understand why they can’t grasp at the moment that it was a terrible accident due to intoxication.

Remember this resort was next door to the one he was staying at. And at night. So perhaps he didn’t have a keycard into this resort therefore going in and trying to exit the window.

 

[SherryLock]

(Deleted because it just seems to be a lot of repeating the same things at this point).

 

[neesaki]

This article states that a gardener discovered him with his head, arms, and torso on outside of building. So he was trying to climb out head first or climb in feet first.
Cancun resort manager says body of Texas firefighter was discovered wedged in window by a gardener | Daily Mail Online

I’m so glad we finally have some photos of the mystery window, thanks to the good ole Daily Mail. As outlandish as their headlines can be at times, they are often the ones who come through with the photos when no one else does.
Maybe he’d gone down to the beach and got confused and returned to this resort by mistake, and the bathroom was still unlocked at that time. I just can’t imagine him trying to enter the BR by going through the window feet first..... but perhaps he did just that.
Someone mentioned maybe he passed out in the bathroom, then came to and it was locked, which sounds like a good possibility , imo.
If exiting out the window, was the door locked in a way it couldn’t be opened from the inside?
It really does appear to me to have been a freak accident at this point, unless something else is released that indicates otherwise.
I feel so badly for the wife and children. So, so tragic.

 

[annpats]

So perhaps he didn’t have a keycard into this resort...

Good point. Where were his keycard, wallet, and phone?

He obviously had them in him when he decided to stay at the bar....

 

[Catmommy]

We will never be able to understand or justify a REALLY drunk person's "logic". It is an exercise in futility to even try. Impaired people who are without reason will not make reasonable choices. Outcomes are evident when motives are impossible to discern.

 

[amih21]

I agree about it being a freak accident. Your scenario makes sense - or he could’ve gone in through the door but got locked inside? Maybe he was very drunk, passed out for a bit & when he woke up the door had been locked for the night?

That was my thought...what if he got locked inside and was trying to get out

 

[jbennett]

After seeing the photos I think he was definitely trying to get out. That window looks pretty hidden, off the beaten path and there are probably a million other places he would have stumbled upon to try to get in before even seeing that window.
Trying to put myself in a position where my thinking is altered due to a substance... I think this was an unfortunate accident where he was at the bar by himself, maybe decided he wanted to walk along the beach or even followed some new friends outside, and got lost trying to find his way back to his room. I could see him wandering around the other hotel, lost, finding his way to the bathroom and maybe even passing out for a minute or sitting down for a "minute", during which time the door was locked and he was unable to leave.

 

[SuziQ]

My guess- he was inside that hotel, stumbled into the wrong place looking for an exit or maybe he was looking for a bathroom. Door locked behind him and he couldn’t get out, maybe lock or door handle was broken…maybe simply too drunk to open the door. So he tried the window to escape and then couldn’t make it work. Extremely tragic.

ITA. He may have gotten locked in the bathroom. I had a bathroom doorknob fall off as I tried to leave. I tried everything to get the door open. It was a long half hour before help came. I also had a latch to a stall break in a different incident. I was forced to climb under the partition to get out. It was a very tight squeeze. No wonder I hate using public restrooms.

Maybe the family should see if something like this occurred. That would make the hotel liable for this death. I doubt the hotel would come out and admit to the situation hoping no one would find out. Hmmmm.

 

[jollymon]

His mid section- chest to abdomen- should have the largest diameter, so he was literally stuck halfway in, halfway out, and even though was only 2 feet off the ground, was going out backwards.
Humans go into a window head first so we can see where we're going and to use the weight of our head and chest to help propel us in, our arms and shoulders being our steadying forces.
As far as I know, this is instinctual and no one ever has to think about how to go into a cave, a room, the opening to the attic. It's head first or not at all.

Coming out, it's usually instinctive to go feet first. I can see exiting feet first IF going in the window was easy. Maybe he never entered through the window, though.

If he was exiting the window feet first, his hip and abdominal area would have started to feel way too tight, and he could have backed right back into the room before the pressure of the window diameter squeezed his diaphragm and respiratory accessory muscles, and lungs.

As a trained fire fighter, would he not have some knowledge about this?

 

[jbennett]

These resorts most likely have tons of surveillance these days. Hopefully they have some video footage of how he ended up inside the neighboring resort and/ if he was talking to any other people. Maybe someone on footage could give them some insight. Hopefully it is important enough to local authorities to look into this. The family may well have to push the issue, as seen in other cases of things happening in resort areas.

 

[SeekingJana]

As a trained fire fighter, would he not have some knowledge about this?

Yep, when he wasn't likely very intoxicated, as his wife has said he was and reports are that he was intoxicated. He made a fatal mistake. It was an accidental death.
I'm an RN who worked in I.C.U. at a major medical center and I've seen this type of very rare crush injury which didn't end in death. The person wedged into too small a space was rescued. I've also read professional medical literature describing the process when it does progress to death from asphyxiation.

 

[SeekingJana]

ITA. He may have gotten locked in the bathroom. I had a bathroom doorknob fall off as I tried to leave. I tried everything to get the door open. It was a long half hour before help came. I also had a latch to a stall break in a different incident. I was forced to climb under the partition to get out. It was a very tight squeeze. No wonder I hate using public restrooms.

Maybe the family should see if something like this occurred. That would make the hotel liable for this death. I doubt the hotel would come out and admit to the situation hoping no one would find out. Hmmmm.

Were you in a foreign country when either incident occurred? Asking for a friend.