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Authorities: Iowa family found dead in Mexico died of toxic gases

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.

MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexican authorities say autopsies indicate an Iowa couple and their two children died of asphyxiation at a rented condo on Mexico's Caribbean coast.

The prosecutors' office in the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo said Saturday that "the cause of death was asphyxiation from inhaling toxic gases." It said the type of gas hadn't yet been determined.

Pathologists determined that the members of the Sharp family had probably been dead for 36 to 48 hours before their discovery Friday. They had been expected to leave the Tulum, Mexico area on Wednesday to fly to the United States.

Photos released by the office showed investigators examining gas connections to a stove in the condo in Tulum.

Iowa officials have identified the family as 41-year-old Kevin Sharp, 38-year-old Amy Sharp and their children - 12-year-old Sterling and 7-year-old Adrianna. They were from Creston, Iowa.

In 2010, the explosion of an improperly installed gas line at a hotel in the nearby town of Playa del Carmen killed five Canadian tourists and two Mexicans.

Information from CBS News was used in this report.

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