Two young adults went to celebrate Dia de los Muertos with friends in Mexico, and in an eerie turn of events were discovered dead in their Airbnb. Family members of the Virginia Beach buddies, who mysteriously died while vacationing in the tropical oasis, are demanding answers from authorities regarding the cause of death.
Days passed before any report on what killed them was released. Now the relatives know there was a carbon monoxide leak in the apartment in which they were staying.
Jordan Marshall and Kandace Florence had been friends since their teens. The two, both graduated from Kellam High School in 2011, and recently decided to travel to the southernmost country in North America for the indigenous holiday Day of the Dead, a traditional Hispanic celebration usually noted on Nov. 1 and 2, according to WAVY News.
While often paired with America’s Halloween, these celebration days are deeply spiritual and are set aside to “welcome back the souls of … deceased relatives,” according to sources. The friends linked with Marshall’s friend from New Orleans, Courtez Hall, 33, to experience the traditions up close and personal.
Days before the celebration could start, tragedy struck. Hall also died with the friends.
A statement from the U.S. Embassy said, “We can confirm the death of three U.S. citizens in Mexico. We are closely monitoring local authorities’ investigation into the cause of death. We stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance. Out of respect for the privacy of the families, we have nothing further to add at this time.”
According to the Daily Mail, the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning.
The news was shared on Tuesday, Nov. 8 by Mexico City’s attorney general. The office released a statement, “According to the [forensic] expert studies carried out, the three people referred to, died of carbon monoxide poisoning.”
On Sunday, Oct. 30, according to Florence’s boyfriend, the two were on the phone talking long distance. She shared that she felt like she was getting sick and that she thought something was not right with her.
The couple talked some more but eventually were disconnected. When the boyfriend could not get her back on the phone, he called the Airbnb host and begged her to conduct a welfare check.
When authorities arrived at the home, Marshall and Hall were found dead.
At first, everywhere the family turned for answers was met with a dead end.
Marshall’s mother, Jennifer Marshall,, spoke about how devastating it was to hear the news, and the challenges she is having to get answers. “To lose your child is one thing, but in a whole other country and having to maneuver language barriers and travel and trying to get his body home, it’s been a lot,” she said.
The mother said when she flew out to Mexico City and went to the police station. Marshall said she waited hours for an interpreter to show up to help facilitate her query about her child’s death.
She also tried to go to the U.S. embassy but it was closed upon arrival. In addition to not being able to get in contact with officials, Marshall said she was not able to get into the Airbnb to retrieve her son’s possessions.
“His wallet, his laptop, he took all those things with him and we just want them back,” ahe said.
Florence’s sister-in-law, Amy, and oldest brother, Chad, said they experienced a similar outcome.
Eventually, she and Florence’s family did get in contact with the embassy and are negotiating how to get the two friends’ bodies back to the states. They also are hoping the government can help them discover what happened to their loved ones.
“We thought that going to the embassy first would aid us in that regard, but they didn’t have translators that could accompany us to the various places like the forensics office or police station,” Green said.
According to Jennifer, Marshall was teaching in New Orleans and was very passionate about the work.
While Marshall was a teacher, Florence was an entrepreneur with a candle business. She started an affirmational candle company, Glo Through It, in 2020.
The mom said, “We’re just glad that he did have that opportunity in his short time to make an impact.”
Kandace’s father, Kelvin Florence, said, “We should’ve never had to gone through that type of leg work to realize that our baby passed away in a foreign country. Nobody even took the effort to notify us, a letter, a phone call, nothing.”
Another one of Kandace’s relatives, Freida Florence said, “I was worried that they would get lost in the shuffle and so I prayed. I said we need intervention that everyone that they meet that there would be somebody along their path that would guide them to Kandace and bringing her back home.”
Florence’s mother added, “The last thing you think is that trip, that vacation is going to end in death, and so we are really struggling with how to help the next family, the next circumstance run smoother.”
Airbnb told Jennifer the 28-year-old’s belongings have since been delivered to the authorities and will remain with them while the deaths are under investigation. But the country will release their bodies to the families so they can be flown back to the U.S. over the next few days.
Marshall and Florence’s families were not the only ones impacted by the sudden deaths. Hall’s family has started a GoFundMe to help get his body shipped back to the states from Mexico and pay for his funeral service. So far, the family has raised $5,666 out of the $20,000 goal.
The school that Hall taught at, KIPP Morial Middle School, also released a statement, saying, “This was Mr. Hall’s first year teaching at and he quickly made a meaningful impact on our students. He was a bright light that helped our students shine in and out of the classroom. Our school community is heartbroken, and his family has our deepest sympathy, prayers, and condolences.”
Marshall’s funeral is set for Friday, Nov. 11, a day after his friend Kandace would have turned 29.
