On March 15, an Iowan family arrived in Tulum, Mexico for a spring break vacation. Days later, they were found dead in their vacation rental. The family consisted of Kevin Sharp, Amy Sharp, their son, Sterling and their daughter, Adrianna. During a welfare check of the condo, Mexican authorities found the bodies of the Sharp family. The family appeared to have been dead for 36 to 48 hours before being found. No signs of traumatic injury were found on the bodies, and autopsies were soon conducted.

Relatives and friends of the Sharp family found the family’s lack of social media postings odd. According to friends, the family would often share their life moments on social media platforms. The last form of contact anyone had with the Sharp family was from Sterling’s Snapchat. Earlier during the day that the family passed, Sterling had posted a picture of his feet in the water.

The Sharps were set to return on March 21 from their vacation. Jana Weland, a relative of the Sharps, told CNN that Kevin Sharp was to check in with his employees on Wednesday. But when he failed to do so, his employees grew concerned.

Later that night, the Sharps were supposed to attend a basketball game in Danville, Illinois. But when the Sharps once again failed to make an appearance, their extended family began to worry. The extended family waited to contact authorities until the next day in case the Sharps had not shown due to problems with their flights.

According to Mexican authorities, the Sharp family died of “asphyxia by inhalation of toxic gases.” It is believed that the water heater had a gas leak, which allowed for the release of carbon monoxide into the air. The gas leak could have been due to excessive use or lack of maintenance.

The family lived in the small Iowan town of Creston, with a population of around 8,000. This tightly-knit community has come together to support the relatives of the Sharps. Beth Fry, Amy Sharp’s mother, says that the amount of sympathy and support is “overwhelming and unbelievable.” By Fry’s estimates, nearly half of the Creston community has called, sent messages or delivered food.

On the night of March 24, over 200 people went to Veterans of Foreign Wars baseball diamond to share memories of the Sharp family. On Saturday, a memorial service was held at 2 p.m. at the Southwestern Community College’s gymnasium in Creston.

Kevin Sharp, the father of the family, was a board member at a beer distribution company. He spent his free time driving race cars at the Iowa Adams County Speedway. Ed Major, Amy’s father, told WOWT News that Amy “loved her kids, she loved her job, she just loved life.” Major also reminisced on his grandchildren, stating, “They were really good grandkids. He was turning out to be quite a good golfer and ball player. She was more into fashion. She loved her shoes.”