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La Quinta woman recounts her experience after stay at Mexican resort where OC couple died

Debbie Wheeler and her husband weren't prepared for their vacation to Baja California Sur, Mexico to take an unexpected turn earlier this month.

The couple was staying at Hyatt's Rancho Pescadero luxury resort just two days after the bodies of an American couple were found in their hotel room on June 13.

Wheeler said they were given advance notice of the situation by hotel management prior to their arrival and were relocated to another hotel.

The victims were identified as Abby Lutz, 28, from Newport Beach and John Heathco, 41, of Mission Viejo according to the Baja California Sur Attorney General's office. Their cause of death was "intoxication by substance to be determined," according to a statement by the Attorney General's office.

Mexican authorities said no evidence of violence was found and that the couple had been dead between "10 and 11 hours" before their bodies were found.

Lutz and Heathco had initially thought they had food poisoning and had told family they felt better after getting treated at a hospital, according to a GoFundMe page set up by Lutz's sister, Gabrielle Slate.

Slate further writes that the family received a phone call informing them about her sister's death, and said they were "told it was due to improper venting of the resort and could be Carbon monoxide poisoning."

The resort has since temporarily closed its doors while the investigation into the deaths continues, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Watch News Channel 3 at 6:00 p.m. tonight for more on this story.

Article Topic Follows: Local News

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Jennifer Franco

Jennifer Franco is the weekend anchor/weekday reporter for KESQ News Channel 3

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