Investigators say missing Iowa family found dead in Mexico


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CRESTON, Iowa (AP) — The bodies of an Iowa couple and their two children were found in a rented condo in Mexico on Friday, though it wasn't immediately clear what caused their deaths, according to investigators.

The family was reported missing by relatives in their hometown of Creston, Iowa, earlier in the day, about a week after the family left for vacation. Creston police contacted the U.S. Department of State, and the bodies were found during a welfare check at the condo in Tulum, on the Yucatan Peninsula.

In Mexico, the Quintana Roo state prosecutors office tweeted that the bodies were found in a tourist compound. The office said that "no signs of violence were found on the bodies or in the room," though authorities said it wasn't immediately clear what caused the deaths. Autopsy reports were pending.

Iowa authorities identified the family as 41-year-old Kevin Sharp; his wife, 38-year-old Amy Sharp; and their children, 12-year-old Sterling and 7-year-old Adrianna.

Reached Friday, the developer of the condo complex where the deaths occurred declined to comment.

The Creston News Advertiser newspaper in Iowa reported that the family flew to Cancun, Mexico, on March 14. According to her sister, Amy Sharp texted their mother the next day to say they'd reached Tulum, but relatives hadn't heard from the family since then.

The sister, Renee Hoyt, said the Sharps were scheduled to return to the U.S. this week. They were scheduled to depart from the Cancun airport on Wednesday and fly to St. Louis on a non-stop flight. The family had planned to then drive about 200 miles (322 kilometers) to Danville, Illinois, to watch a basketball game Thursday, Hoyt said.

When the family didn't arrive in St. Louis, family members contacted authorities, she said.

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