Mexican hotel suspends operations after deaths of American couple

A luxury hotel in Mexico owned by Hyatt has temporarily suspended normal operations after the deaths of a California couple, CBS Los Angeles reports. Last Tuesday, Abby Lutz, 28, and her boyfriend John Heathcott, 41, were found dead in their hotel room. In a statement to CBS Los Angeles, a Hyatt spokesperson said "our top priority is the safety and wellbeing of guests and colleagues, and normal operation will not resume until we have completed our investigation."

Initially, police suspected gas inhalation was the cause of death, but prosecutors in Mexico's Baja California Sur state said autopsies revealed Lutz and Heathco died of intoxication by an unknown substance. There were no signs of violence on the bodies, according to the state prosecutor's office, but it did not say what further steps are being taken to determine the exact cause of death.

Lutz's family relayed to CBS News that they were afflicted by what they thought was food poisoning days before their deaths. After spending a night in a Mexican hospital for dehydration, the couple returned to their hotel. Slate informed CBS News that Monday evening was the last communication her sister had with them; she reported sending her father a text which read "Good Night, Love You," as per usual.

Meanwhile, the sibling paramedics who responded to the incident are now saddled with medical bills after becoming ill themselves, according to a fundraiser for the pair. According to a fundraiser for the siblings, Fernando Valencia Sotelo and Grisel Valencia Sotelo, who attempted to revive the couple, "were overcome" while attending to them. Now they receive medical care at a private hospital.