GoFundMe Jose and Maria Nunez, pictured here in this photo from GoFundMe, were found dead with their young son in Mexico.
A couple and their two-year-old son were found dead in Mexico while staying at an Airbnb. Now the family of Jose and Maria Nunez is raising money on GoFundMe to bring them home for burial, while they wait to learn more about what happened. Their cause of death has not yet been determined.
The Three Family Members Were Found Dead in the Same Room of the Airbnb
Jose Nunez Jr., his wife Maria Nunez, and their son Jayden were found dead in Mexico, Bakersfield Now reported. They were staying at an Airbnb and were all found in the same room. Local 12 reported that they went to sleep and never woke up.
The couple left behind four other children, according to the family’s GoFundMe. A GoFundMe started by a different family member shared that the surviving children are between the ages of 8 and 10.
They Were Visiting Other Family Members Who Were Also at the Airbnb
Jacobo told Bakersfield Now that the Nunez family was visiting other family members who were also staying at the same Airbnb. The other family members are fine.
Jacobo told NBC 11 News that they were a “really good family.” She said her nephew was “one of the best dads I know” and he was always very loving. He was also a big Dallas Cowboys fan, she shared.
“[He was] in love with his family,” Jacobo said. “He’s always hugging them, always holding them.”
Airbnb Is Investigating & an Autopsy Will Be Performed
In a statement to Bakersfield Now, Airbnb said they are investigating what happened and have deactivated the listing where the Nunez family was staying. The name of where they were staying has not been released.
The company said in a statement:
This is a horrific tragedy, and the thoughts of our team are with the Nunez children and the entire extended family as they grieve the losses of Jose, Maria and Jayden. Safety is at the heart of everything we do at Airbnb, and we are conducting a comprehensive investigation into what happened.
Jacobo told Bakersfield Now that an autopsy is going to be performed in Mexico to determine the cause of death.
A GoFundMe Is Raising Money to Bring the Family Home & Support Their Surviving Children
GoFundMe
A GoFundMe has been set up to raise money to bring the family back to California for funeral arrangements.
Jacobo told NBC 11 News: “We want our loved ones back in the States. We want to know what happened to them, of course, but… right now, we’re focused on getting Jose, Maria and Jayden home.”
As of the time of this article’s publication, more than $11,000 had been raised out of a $30,000 goal.
The GoFundMe reads, in part:
We lost 3 members of our family in a tragic accident while they were on vacation in Mexico. My nephew Jose Nunez Jr, his wife Maria and their 2 year old son Jayden were all found deceased in the AirBNB. They left behind 4 other children. Our hearts are broken and we hate to ask for help but we cannot imagine leaving them in Mexico. If you can help with anything at all it would be greatly appreciated…
Their bodies are in Mexico and we need help to get them back home and with funeral arrangements. Please help us get our loved ones home. They leave behind 4 other children…
How donations will be used: To have all 3 bodies returned home and funeral expenses. If there is anything left, they have 4 small children that they left behind, any remaining money would go to the children.
In an update on September 27, organizer Priscilla Mela wrote:
Thank you to everyone who has reached out to my family with donations, prayers, texts, calls and even just thinking about us as you went through your day. This is a devastating loss to our family. It is an even more devastating loss to the children they leave behind. Jose was an amazing father. His children and wife really were the loves of his life. If you knew him you knew that without a doubt. His social media pages reflect the type of dad that he was. They both were devoted to their family and worked really hard to provide for them. This is a tragedy beyond words. Again, thank you for sharing the GoFundMe account and donating if you were able to. More than anything else we need your continued prayers.
On her Facebook page, Melo said that enough money was raised to bring them home, but they are still raising money for three burials.
In 2018, a similar case made national news when a couple from Iowa and their two children were found dead while vacationing in Mexico. The Mexican prosecutor’s office found that the cause of death for Kevin Sharp, Amy Sharp, and their two children was “asphyxiation from inhaling toxic gases,” Chicago 5 reported.
A cause of death for the Nunez family has not yet been determined.
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