El Paso siblings found dead in Airbnb in Mexico City, reports say
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) - Mexican officials discovered an El Paso man and woman dead in an apartment Tuesday in Mexico City.
The victims were siblings.
Officials from the Mexico City Public Safety department published a report on Feb. 25 when they were found dead, saying they spoke with a 61-year-old woman who went to identify the two people renting the Airbnb on Emilio Dondé Street, Colonia Centro, in Cuauhtémoc.
The Attorney General's Office of Mexico City released a statement on X about their current investigation.
ABC-7 reached out to family members of 35-year-old Hugo Ivan Morales and 37-year-old Laura Abril Morales.
The siblings' mother, Laura Morales, went to Mexico City to gather more information, a cousin of the family told ABC-7.
According to the report, officials found virtual identifications from Texas.
One family friend shared how he felt when he got the news.
"It was just a gut wrenching feeling. That's all I can say. I read the text over and over and I couldn't believe it, you know," said Erick Valdiviezo, who's known Hugo since middle group. "That's my little brother, so it was hard, you know what I'm saying? It was really hard."
Valdiviezo said they were "two beautiful souls" and that Laura was like a big sister to him.
They had a close knit group of friends, keeping in touch throughout the years with a groupchat.
"We just got to remember them and, let them live through us, let their experiences, the lives that we shared with them, just hold them very dearly to our hearts, you know? Never forget them," said Josh Gasper, another friend of Hugo since middle school.
A spokesperson from Airbnb responded to the matter with a statement:
“This is a terrible tragedy, and our thoughts are with the family and loved ones. Our priority right now is supporting those impacted as the authorities investigate what happened, and we stand ready to assist however we can.”
Officials also said that the Public Ministry is waiting for autopsy results to determine what exactly was the cause of death.
A GoFundMe was set up for funeral costs by Oscar Fabian Morales, who's said he's the brother of the victims.
