Iowa Family Missing in Mexico Has Been Found Dead

An Iowa family of four reported missing in Mexico by their family on Thursday has been found dead in the condo where they were staying, the Des Moines Register reports. The Sharp family—Kevin, 41; Amy, 38; Sterling, 12; and Adrianna, 7—flew to Cancun on March 15 and let their family know they had arrived safely at their condo, family friend Ashli Peterson posted Thursday on Facebook. "Amy sent a text to our mom that said, 'We made it to our condo,'" Amy's sister, Renee Hoyt, tells the Creston News Advertiser. "That is the last communication she made." The family did not return to the US as planned on Wednesday, and relatives grew worried. "Nobody's cellphones are on and they didn't land in St. Louis," Hoyt says. "There's been no Facebook posts and that's not like them. They're always posting pictures when they're on vacation."

Relatives filed a missing persons report with the US Embassy in Mexico, KCCI reports. The Creston Police Department and the US State Department launched investigations. Pinging the family's cellphones showed them still in Mexico and not moving. In an update to her Facebook post on Friday, Peterson said that all four members of the Sharp family were found dead in their condo in Tulum. "There was no foul play! At this time that is all the information we have," Peterson said. "Please respect the family at this time as they go through the grieving process." The Creston Police Department says autopsies are being performed in Mexico, and the results are pending. (More missing persons stories.)