x
Breaking News
More () »

Iowa family reported missing in Mexico found dead in condominium

Relatives said they hadn't heard from them since they first arrived 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 Iowa family of four was found dead in their vacation condominium in Mexico, authorities said.

Kevin Wayne Sharp, 41, his wife Amy Marie Sharp, 38, and their kids, Sterling Wayne Sharp, 12, and Adrianna Marie Sharp, 7, were found dead in a tourism building in Tulum, Mexico.

The State Attorney’s Office of Quintana Roo, a Mexican state on the Yucatan Peninsula, confirmed the ministry is investigating the cause of their deaths. During the initial inspection, there were no signs of injury or violence on the bodies or in the room, according to a Facebook post.

"The Sharps have been located. They were found last night in their condo deceased. There was no foul play! At this time that is all the information we have.

"Please respect the family at this time as they go through the grieving process. Thank you for all the posts, shares, and kind words," Ashli Peterson, a relative wrote on Facebook. She said the Sharps had last been heard from March 15.

The U.S. State Department confirmed the bodies of four U.S. citizens were in Akumal, Mexico, which is near Tulum on the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Autopsies are being performed in Mexico and results are pending, according to police.

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.

Around midnight Thursday, the Sharps' family members went to Creston police to report their relatives missing.

Peterson posted on Facebook Thursday night that the Sharp family left the United States for Tulum, Mexico, on March 15. They were supposed to return from their trip on Wednesday from Cancun, Mexico, and arrive in St. Louis. Then, they were supposed to travel to Danville, Illinois, for a Southwestern Community College men's basketball game Thursday.

"The situation with the Kevin and Amy Sharp family is weighing heavily on our hearts and minds," said Todd Lorensen, the Southwestern coach. "Members of their families have been strong Southwestern supporters for years. I consider them friends. They were to be here watching us play basketball this week."

Peterson wrote there has been no contact from the Sharps since March 15, when they notified their relatives that they made it to Mexico safely.

Creston Police Chief Paul Ver Meer said they started investigating and determined the Sharp family did not got on their flight from Cancun back to the United States. The U.S. State Department was called along with officials in Mexico. When emergency officials went to the condominium, they found the bodies of the family.

There were no visible signs of trauma on any of the family members bodies, Ver Meer said.

Ver Meer said they are waiting to hear the autopsy results for the cause of death.

It’s unknown when they will be returned to Iowa.

“It’s a very sad day for the Sharp family and the city of Creston as a whole,” Ver Meer said. “We’ll work through this together.”

Amy Sharp's sister told the Creston News Advertiser that the family flew to Cancun from St. Louis and was renting a car and driving to Tulum, where they were renting a condo.

"On Wednesday at 7 p.m., Amy sent a text to our mom that said, 'We made it to our condo,'" Hoyt said to the Creston News Advertiser. "That is the last communication she made. We got told last night Kevin sent a text to Travis Anderson around 5 p.m. Thursday and Travis responded around 11:30 and has not heard anything back."

Novedades Quintana Roo, a news outlet located in Cancun, reported that employees had entered the room after noticing an odor, according to the news outlet. Inside, they found the bodies of the Sharp family.

Their stay at the hotel was scheduled between March 14 to March 21, according to the news outlet.

An advisory on the State Department's website last updated this month advises caution for Americans traveling to Mexico.

Before You Leave, Check This Out