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Report: Resort temporarily shuttered in wake of Newport Beach couple’s death

June 23, 2023

The luxury Baja California Sur resort where a Newport Beach couple was found dead on June 13 has been temporarily closed, according to a report from ABC News.

The Rancho Pescadero hotel, a Hyatt property, was shuttered June 18 so a third-party investigation can take place, the news report said. Abby Lutz and John Heathco, who were found dead in their hotel room, apparently died of “intoxication by an undetermined substance,” according to Mexican authorities.

It was not immediately clear when the hotel will be reopened.

A GoFundMe page set up for Lutz’s funeral and transportation costs said the family was told carbon monoxide poisoning could have caused the couple’s deaths.

Good Morning America reported that paramedics responding to the couple’s hotel room also became sick, but it was unclear what caused their apparent illnesses.

“My partner and I, we started to feel dizzy. We went out of the room as soon as possible,” Fernando Valencia, one of the firefighters, told GMA.

Hyatt denied carbon monoxide or another substance was found in the hotel in a June 16 statement to the Southern California News Group.

“We understand authorities immediately tested the air quality in the room after responding to the situation, and at the time, did not report any findings of gas or carbon monoxide and advised that the hotel was cleared to continue normal operations,” a Hyatt spokesperson said in the statement.

As of Thursday evening, Hyatt did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the report that it has temporarily closed the resort

The 28-year-old Lutz, originally from Utah, worked as a nanny and had lived in Ladera Ranch, according to her Facebook page. A family friend of Lutz, Mari Sisti, described her as helpful and kind in an interview with SCNG.

Heathco, 41, was an engineer and self-described “health and wellness junkie.” He ran a supplements company and other startups, according to his personal website.

The Associated Press and staff writer Hanna Lykke contributed to this report.

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