Found Deceased Mexico - Kevin, 41, Amy, 38, Sterling, 12, & Adrianna Sharp, 7, Tulum, 15 March 2018

[human]

I have retired to a Third world nation. We did look at Mexico as a place to retire to but did not choose it.

Anyway, living here is an eye opener. We laugh at the lack of safety laws here. People complain about regulation and rules in the US, but living where things are lax is amazing.

The house we rent was made by a competent person but that is hardly the case even in expensive resorts here.

Foreign countries in exotic locations do not have the same rules as the US as far as vuilding safety and codes.

Another thing is the massage people. I wonder how many have had any training whatsoever.

Since we always went to tropical places, i never worried about carbon monoxide. I never knew about water heaters.

I see here with airbnb the ridiculous rentals that are advertised and that people sign up for because they are cheap. I am not sure anymore how the buyer can beware. I don’t know how easy it would be for anyone to sue in a foreign country.

One would have to have an attorney from that country. I have a friend here who is a native of the country who is suing about a simple car issue. He is in year three of the suit with no use of his vehicle which he uses for business.

I know I always blithely traveled, never concerned about my accommodations which I chose carefully.

I saw some pictures of a friend who had a hotel room in Las Vegas which she discovered was the scene of a murder. There was not a perfect job of cleaning which made her discover the problem.

 

[Satchie]

The condo owners purchased this condo new and took possession in November 2013 as per their ad that was posted earlier in the thread. I was at this property in November 2010 and no condos were being built at that time. If you look at the property on google maps, it appears that only one small section of the property has been developed and they are still selling condos and townhouses online that are not built yet.

Great advice about hiring your own inspector and getting a full report before taking possession of a new build. If there is cause for this service, does this mean that the developer takes no responsibility for a situation such as this?

I'm sure this will hit the developer in loss of sales, people are going to be much more cautious before buying in.

Gotta say, makes me feel a bit sick looking briefly at that website. I remember the area from when I used to go stay in a palm thatched hut and there were still turtles nesting in the beach. Aside from having no electricity, It never occurred to me to want to watch TV. They're paving paradise.

 

[margarita25]

There is no such thing as a mandatory home inspection when purchasing in Mexico. A foreigner can’t even get a mortgage in Mexico. The water heater in question is pretty much what they look like in Mexico. The laws are changing now but in the last 15 years this is how they were installed. The water heaters are normally located outside or in a ventilated room off of the kitchen.

Welcome Walkmile

:welcome5:

 

[Steelslady]

Ed Major last saw his daughter and grandchildren a few weeks ago, and he's still trying to cope with knowing he'll never see them again.

"They were a wonderful family. They enjoyed life," Major said.

Amy and Kevin Sharp, of Creston, Iowa, were in Mexico on vacation with their two kids last week. The family was found dead in their rented condo.

"The kids were on the floor watching TV. Kevin and Amy were in bed watching TV. The TV was still going apparently," Major said.

http://www.ketv.com/article/loved-ones-remember-iowa-family-found-dead-in-mexico/19588947

I know it's no consolation what so ever, but I am glad that they appeared to be relaxing while watching TV before they all passed away. So tragic, my thoughts and prayers are with their family and friends.

 

[MOTORUNNER]

This case is so tragic, I already am very neurotic about fire/CO detectors, now I will be more so. I bought a portable detector to take with me when I go on vacation from now on, and have advised my family and friends to do the same. (a lot of them think I'm crazy though...)

 

[sassyblue]

This case is so tragic, I already am very neurotic about fire/CO detectors, now I will be more so. I bought a portable detector to take with me when I go on vacation from now on, and have advised my family and friends to do the same. (a lot of them think I'm crazy though...)

Better crazy than dead I always say....

 

[borndem]

Some smart attorney/s is/are going to take the "shotgun" approach against all of them, IMO, in a "Moral Damages" suit, IMO. There is Wrongful Death law in Mexico, but best I can tell and, it's called Moral Damages. Please note: IANAL. I googled, so take it as you will, I'm further guessing that a good US atty will partner with a Mexican attorney, and see whom they want to sue and to assess what is possible under Mexican jurisprudence. Here's an article about it:

https://repository.law.miami.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1181&context=umialr

We'll see what happens, but IMO, somebody, some company, some business -- whatever -- should be held accountable for this horrific tragedy.

 

[U2forever]

Be advised: I spent 8 years from age 17 to 25 installing water heaters. That right there is EXACTLY the cause of this catastrophe. I literally gasped when I saw what a terribly atrocious cob-job that installer had done.

Notice the black soot smeared all over the blue piping? That's incomplete combustion caused by a major leak in the vent pipe; it normally burns fully along the upward length of the pipe (cooling and being converted fully to CO2 and water vapor), but instead it's getting ejected out sideways into the the air and oxidizing, generating soot and carbon monoxide. That family was killed by their hot water heater. Or, to be precise, the murderously negligent fool who installed or modified it last.


1) That vent pipe is supposed to be rigid, double-walled galvanized steel, rated against acidic flue gas at 200-degrees. Cost: $13 a foot.
Installer instead used semi-rigid, low-temp aluminized dryer vent (which is only rated for 120F hot air, and is also not designed to be leak-proof even against that). Cost: $3 a foot.
Disaster waiting to happen.


2) The rigid vent pipe is supposed to be firmly secured to the draft diverter (the black funnel thing that sucks air up the pipe) with a nylon-gasketed collar rated to seal against hot flue gas. Cost: $6.
Installer instead used a big wad of aluminized dryer vent tape, which is rated to 120F hot air and intended to patch minor holes in existing dryer line. It is even less resistant to moist, hot, acidic gas than the dryer hose itself, worse than even duct tape! Cost: pennies.
MAJOR disaster waiting to happen.


The failure occurred in one of those two parts, probably that atrocious "tape joint". Just look at all the residue built up! He even smudged it to make it obvious in the picture. I'm literally going to be sick. This is terrible negligence.

When I first saw that picture I new there was a huge problem there and with me being a lay person that says a lot. Unbelievable.
I remember from memory a show on Kenda-Homicide Hunter, a landlord who was very cheap installed a part on the heater I believe and instead of having a professional install he installed the part by hammering it home because he was to cheap to pay someone to do it.
This discovery came after a family was killed by the gas leak.
He also had a tin full of cash in his kitchen of thousands of dollars and he still had to muck things up for himself with life in prison and murder a family.
Doesn't make good sense.

 

[steeltowngirl]

It could have been an all-cash deal, and requirements may not have been needed at that point. I am shocked and amazed these days that people buy houses near me and become neighbors, and they don't even have a survey or a home inspection done before they purchase.

I bought an abandoned, bank-owned home in a nice suburb of Pittsburgh in 2009, with no home inspection, and obtained a mortgage. The utilities were red tagged and couldn’t be turned on prior to closing. It was summer and I lived in the home without utilities until I could have them repaired and put back. The gas company turned the natural gas on to the home, but required an inspection of the furnace and water heater. The furnace was no good, and likely leaky, so I had it replaced before winter. My point is that the gas utilities here in the US do play a role in the inspections and have the ability to red tag appliances and shut off or not turn on. I am curious to know the source of the gas in the Mexico condo and whether public utilities were involved.

 

[amandabanana]

What happened to this family is so incredibly sad. If anything comes out of this tragedy, I hope it opens up everyone's eyes about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning.

When I was around 9 years old, I was home one day with two of my older sisters. I just remember waking up in the morning and walking downstairs and still feeling so sleepy. I laid down on the couch and fell back to sleep. My oldest sister was talking to my mom on the phone and my mom asked her what was wrong and she told her that she felt so tired. My mom knew something was wrong and called the power company who prompted her to tell us to get out of the house and they would be right over to check things out. We went outside and the power company came out and said that our furnace was fine, but they found a leak coming from the water heater. It could have easily turned into a different outcome that day, so I am thankful that the power company discovered the leak.

This experience made me aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning so I always make sure we have multiple carbon monoxide detectors in our home. But I had never thought about the possibility of a vacation rental not having a carbon monoxide detector, so I definitely plan on purchasing one to take on vacations from now on.

Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Tapatalk

 

[Satchie]

I bought an abandoned, bank-owned home in a nice suburb of Pittsburgh in 2009, with no home inspection, and obtained a mortgage. The utilities were red tagged and couldn’t be turned on prior to closing. It was summer and I lived in the home without utilities until I could have them repaired and put back. The gas company turned the natural gas on to the home, but required an inspection of the furnace and water heater. The furnace was no good, and likely leaky, so I had it replaced before winter. My point is that the gas utilities here in the US do play a role in the inspections and have the ability to red tag appliances and shut off or not turn on. I am curious to know the source of the gas in the Mexico condo and whether public utilities were involved.

I posted a couple links earlier in the thread, currently most of Mexico uses propane for fuel, it's delivered by private propane company trucks. Similar to how you get propane for your bbq, you're warned to never use your bbq indoors, but the propane company won't come and inspect it.

I'm still very curious about how the heater was running in an unventilated home.

CO leaks are always a risk in cold climates, because people may negligently seal the home to keep out cold. A family in rural BC died from that a year or so ago, during a very cold spell.

I guess this home was sealed to enabled the air-conditioning to be efficient? But that is a huge risk and liability right there, even a well constructed appliance can fail and produce CO, there should have been ventilation.

 

[PrairieWind]

What happened to this family is so incredibly sad. If anything comes out of this tragedy, I hope it opens up everyone's eyes about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning.

When I was around 9 years old, I was home one day with two of my older sisters. I just remember waking up in the morning and walking downstairs and still feeling so sleepy. I laid down on the couch and fell back to sleep. My oldest sister was talking to my mom on the phone and my mom asked her what was wrong and she told her that she felt so tired. My mom knew something was wrong and called the power company who prompted her to tell us to get out of the house and they would be right over to check things out. We went outside and the power company came out and said that our furnace was fine, but they found a leak coming from the water heater. It could have easily turned into a different outcome that day, so I am thankful that the power company discovered the leak.

This experience made me aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning so I always make sure we have multiple carbon monoxide detectors in our home. But I had never thought about the possibility of a vacation rental not having a carbon monoxide detector, so I definitely plan on purchasing one to take on vacations from now on.

Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Tapatalk

Wow, you were very fortunate that your mom recognized that something was wrong. CO or gas poisoning can and does happen every day somewhere. The key is to recognize that something isn't right. If you ever suspect something is wrong in your home (something smells wrong or you feel funny in certain places in your home) don't hesitate to call your utility or gas company. They will always tell you to exit the home and wait outside for their technician to arrive. And they will arrive quickly. They have devices to detect CO or gas leaks quickly. There is no charge. Your fire department has the same detectors as well. Even if they don't detect anything, you will have the peace of mind.

 

[Satchie]

<modsnip>

I'm sure it can be difficult to live in the US, and rely on a property manager in Mexico to do repairs in your unit (the manana, manana excuse for delay is notorious, tho it's usually because the person is busy, rather than lazy).

But I agree, trying to evade responsibilty by blaming the property manager is a total cop out and red flag. If you rent out your vacation home for over $200 per night, and it's far from your residence, you have to have someone you can rely on, plus a backup if they can't respond to your requests. If it's not working, you have to get on a plane and go down there yourself.

Too many people now see their second home as a license to print money, while they sit back and watch the property value rise. They don't want it to be any trouble or bother for them. I hope this is a wakeup call.

 

[Joe Friday]

I posted a couple links earlier in the thread, currently most of Mexico uses propane for fuel, it's delivered by private propane company trucks. Similar to how you get propane for your bbq, you're warned to never use your bbq indoors, but the propane company won't come and inspect it.

I'm still very curious about how the heater was running in an unventilated home.

CO leaks are always a risk in cold climates, because people may negligently seal the home to keep out cold. A family in rural BC died from that a year or so ago, during a very cold spell.

I guess this home was sealed to enabled the air-conditioning to be efficient? But that is a huge risk and liability right there, even a well constructed appliance can fail and produce CO, there should have been ventilation.

Having a house sealed to tightly can sometimes cause problems also. Not from the gasses not leaking out of the house, but from exhaust devices such as bathroom fans producing a negative pressure within the house and causing a back draft situation in the chimney or flue where the fumes from a water heater can be sucked into the house instead of being allowed to vent to the exterior. Most modern furnaces are equipped with a device that senses pressure within the flue and will shut down the furnace if there is not enough positive pressure. Unfortunate most water heaters do not have this function.

You can test the draft on your water heater using a match. Strike the match and then blow it out. Place the smoking match by the hood on top of the water heater to make sure the smoke is sucked up the flue. It's recommended to turn on a exhausting fan such as a bath room fan when conducting this test.

 

[Kamille]

<modsnip>

<modsnip> http://newsletter.taoinspiredliving.com/homeowners/Carta_001/index-eng.html

I have to admit this would make for a fascinating wrongful death civil suit. I wonder if the family is even considering such an option?

 

[Kamille]

<modsnip>

I'm sure it can be difficult to live in the US, and rely on a property manager in Mexico to do repairs in your unit (the manana, manana excuse for delay is notorious, tho it's usually because the person is busy, rather than lazy).

But I agree, trying to evade responsibilty by blaming the property manager is a total cop out and red flag. If you rent out your vacation home for over $200 per night, and it's far from your residence, you have to have someone you can rely on, plus a backup if they can't respond to your requests. If it's not working, you have to get on a plane and go down there yourself.

Too many people now see their second home as a license to print money, while they sit back and watch the property value rise. They don't want it to be any trouble or bother for them. I hope this is a wakeup call.

Another fascinating topic for discussion. As a Canadian, I have many acquaintances touting the wonderful benefits of owning rental property out of the country (most specifically in the US) and trying to convince me to invest. I have the exact same concerns when talking with them that you have pointed out here. Who is watching this property and is it being properly maintained? What is the owner's liability when things go wrong? Most of them just say "everything is fine, it's all taken care of by a property manager" or "I have insurance so I'm not worried" and have no additional information. Many never go to the property that they own, don't feel a need to, and as you've said, just sit back and collect their rental income while watching the property values in the area rise.

I'd love to know just what they are responsible for, especially in a tragedy such as this one.

MOO

 

[liltexans]

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[Tricia]

Hey Everyone,

Until we know the landlord is at fault for the gas we can't be tearing his life apart.

It's fine if you want to see he or maybe a management company he uses has complaints against him. However, YOU MUST PROVIDE THE PROPER LINKS.

You can't state something as fact without a link back to a mainstream media source or something else that is acceptable.

One final thing, I know it's nice to get advice about your furnace or water heater but that is not what this thread is about. I would strongly advise youto have a professional look at your equipment if
you have the slightest doubt and always have a carbon monoxide alarm in your home. You can get them combined with a smoke alarm.


Thanks everyone,
Tricia

 

[Satchie]

Another fascinating topic for discussion. As a Canadian, I have many acquaintances touting the wonderful benefits of owning rental property out of the country (most specifically in the US) and trying to convince me to invest. I have the exact same concerns when talking with them that you have pointed out here. Who is watching this property and is it being properly maintained? What is the owner's liability when things go wrong? Most of them just say "everything is fine, it's all taken care of by a property manager" or "I have insurance so I'm not worried" and have no additional information. Many never go to the property that they own, don't feel a need to, and as you've said, just sit back and collect their rental income while watching the property values in the area rise.

I'd love to know just what they are responsible for, especially in a tragedy such as this one.

MOO

Knowing insurance companies, they're not all that eager to solve all your problems, I think they check carefully for anything done or not done to void the insurance policy. For example, I was reading about a float plane crash where one extra passenger had been squeezed in, and the insurance company refused to pay anything.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure we'll know how this case is settled (though I hope there will be more information about the cause of the deaths). Both the resort and the specific unit owners probably will want to keep this low profile.

 

[liltexans]

[...]

Amy&#8217;s cousin, Jana Weland, and her daughter, Ashli Peterson, have been on the front lines of handling the slew of media requests for interviews and coordinating with the funeral home in Mexico, among other daily details of the fallout.

&#8220;We&#8217;re going to go on, put them to rest and go from there,&#8221; Weland said of the funeral planned for 2 p.m. Saturday at Southwestern Community College's gymnasium &#8212; an emotional center of gravity for the Sharps, who were devoted fans of the college's basketball team.

[...]

Weland and Peterson, a hairstylist who runs Salon G downtown, have tried to provide &#8220;that shoulder to cry on&#8221; for their Fry relatives, Peterson said, &#8220;that backbone when they fall.&#8221;

That includes time spent with laundry, dishes and pets as Amy&#8217;s mother and stepfather, Beth and Roger Fry, have welcomed a steady stream of fellow mourners to their home on the western fringe of town, within view of Summit Lake.

Earlier this week, a former exchange student from Switzerland who lived with the Frys and graduated from high school with Amy made a pilgrimage to Creston for the funeral.

Kevin&#8217;s parents, Ken and Carol Sharp, also must tend to the family beer business, Southwest Distributing Co. Kevin had become a linchpin in the firm as Ken eased into retirement.

[...]

The Sharps&#8217; belongings remain in Mexico &#8212; passports, cell phones and other mementos that the family would like returned.

Even their clothing was confiscated in an investigation that so far the Creston relatives don't completely understand. They've been told it could take months.

For now, #4SHARPS decals are starting to proliferate around Creston, with the hashtag also spread on social media.

This is a town where friends and relatives tend to see each other on a daily basis, whether behind a steering wheel or in the grocery aisle.

Peterson routinely passed Kevin on the road as his truck roared by, late to drop off his kids at school. She misses waving at him each morning.

The family already has begun to talk about how they might continue the Sharps' legacy. Perhaps provide scholarships for local students who may not otherwise be able to afford playing sports (Sterling's passion)? Or join a dance studio (Adrianna's favorite pastime)?

"We want to turn around and help some of those kids that (the Sharps) aren&#8217;t there to help,&#8221; Weland said.

The family also has contemplated a campaign to encourage the use of carbon-monoxide detectors. They want them in every home.

They want to force VRBOs (vacation rentals by owner) to install them. They want to encourage tourists to pack them in their suitcases.

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/s...lum-dead-toxic-gas-creston-funeral/468330002/