Arlington Firefighter's Death in Cancun Was Accidental, Mexican Police Say

Arlington firefighter Elijah Snow was found dead in a bathroom window at a Cancun hotel separate where he was staying with his wife and his death appeared to be accidental, Mexican prosecutors said late Friday.

Police initially sent a tweet offering few details but said his body was discovered in a bathroom window at a hotel in the municipality of Benito Juarez.

La @FGEQuintanaRoo informa que inició carpeta de investigación en relación al deceso de un masculino originario de Texas en el municipio de Benito Juárez. Se investigan las circunstancias en las que ocurrieron los hechos. El cuerpo fue localizado en una ventana de un baño (1/2)

— Fiscalía General QR (@FGEQuintanaRoo) July 23, 2021

Late Friday, the prosecutor's office for Cancun issued more details in a news release.

The death appeared to be an accident and there was no signs of violence, the statement said.

Mexican authorities said Snow died of mechanical asphyxiation when he got trapped crawling into the bathroom window of another hotel.

The statement did not name the hotel or explain how he might have ended up there.

Meanwhile, Snow’s remains were returned to North Texas Friday on an American Airlines flight from Cancun.

The DFW Airport Fire Department saluted the plane by spraying water over it on the apron.

According to family friends, Snow had gone to Cancun with his wife to celebrate an anniversary. He stayed behind at a hotel bar and she went to bed. She woke up about 4 a.m., realized he wasn’t there, and started looking for him.

It's unclear why he left the hotel or who may have been with him.

Snow’s funeral is planned for Tuesday in Arlington.