Midwest
Michigan couple detained in Mexico for over a month over timeshare dispute head home
Two Michigan grandparents detained in Mexico for over a month because of a timeshare dispute are finally heading home after their daughter pleaded for their release.
Christy Akeo, 60, and Paul Akeo, 58, who live in Spring Arbor, Michigan, were held in a Cereso, Cancun, prison for 32 days since they traveled there for vacation earlier this month and were arrested by Mexican authorities, as their daughter and attorney previously told Fox News Digital.
“The Akeo family wishes to thank President Donald J. Trump, his Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler and Congressman Tom Barrett [R-Mich.] for working tirelessly for the release of Paul and Christy Akeo,” their daughter and son-in-law, Lindsey Lemke Hull and Michael Lemke, said in a Thursday evening statement. “We also want to express our deepest gratitude to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Mark Coolidge Johnson, Charge d ’Affaires, U.S. Embassy Mission Mexico and his dedicated team.”
They added that after “four straight weeks of uncertainty,” Rep. Barrett’s commitment to helping the Akeos return home safely gave them “hope and reassurance.”
MICHIGAN GRANDPARENTS IMPRISONED IN MEXICO OVER TIMESHARE DISPUTE AS DAUGHTER BEGS FOR THEIR RELEASE
Paul and Christy Akeo entered into a Mexico timeshare agreement in 2021. (handout)
“[Barrett] traveled to Cancun at great personal risk, camped out at the prison and made it clear that he would not return home without them,” the Hulls said. “His heroic efforts as a veteran represent the finest traditions of our nation’s military to never leave an American behind.”
“No American should be held hostage to the demands of a private company anywhere in the world”
Rep. Barrett previously told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that he traveled to Mexico to visit with the Akeos in prison and to push for their release after learning of their deteriorating physical condition.
AMERICANS TRAVELING ABROAD ON SPRING BREAK SHOULD KNOW 3 CRUCIAL THINGS TO STAY SAFE: EXPERT
An INTERPOL Red Notice was issued to facilitate the couple’s arrest. (FGE)
“Enough is enough. After spending nearly a month in a maximum security Mexican prison over what amounts to a contract dispute on a time-share, it’s long overdue for the Mexican authorities to release Paul and Christy,” Barrett said.
The Akeos are currently receiving care from physicians and therapists.
“We ask that their privacy be respected as they rest and heal. The family will have much more to say about this ordeal in the coming days,” the Hulls said.
AMERICANS CONSIDERING SPRING BREAK VACATION IN MEXICO WARNED OF MURDER SPIKE
On March 4, Christy and Paul were traveling to a resort at Isla Mujeres. Mexican authorities arrested them upon arrival and charged them with fraud for disputing credit card charges stemming from a timeshare they purchased in 2021 at a different resort in Cancun.
Aerial panoramic view of Cancun city hotel zone in Mexico. (iStock)
“The place they’re at is a hellhole,” attorney John Manly previously told Fox News Digital of jail conditions. “It’s filled with cartel members, drug dealers, rapists, murderers. Imagine what that’s like every day. For this grandmother and veteran who just wanted to go on vacation. And until today, until really the last couple of days, no one has helped them.”
They were detained over a dispute with their timeshare purchased through a resort company called Palace Elite Resorts, which owns various resort properties in Mexico and has offices in Florida. In 2021, the Akeos purchased a Cancun timeshare for $6,932 per month for a term of 11 years.
Paul and Christy Akeo have been detained in Mexico for weeks following a timeshare dispute. (handout)
In June 2022, Paul filed a complaint with American Express alleging that Palace breached their contract and failed to provide the goods and services they paid for via Paul’s American Express Card, which Palace Elite Resorts contested.
THE HIDDEN TRUTH ABOUT TIMESHARES
American Express investigated the complaint and sided with the Akeos, issuing a chargeback of more than $116,000 in September 2022, their attorney said.
US ISSUES MAJOR TRAVEL ADVISORY FOR MEXICAN BORDER STATE OVER CONCERNS WITH GUN BATTLES, IEDS
The Palace Company, local Mexican media and authorities in Mexico told a different story about the Akeos, saying they defrauded the hotel company out of more than $100,000.
Paul Akeo is a 21-year Navy veteran and an employee with the Michigan State Police. (handout)
Mexican officials say the Akeos signed their timeshare contract in 2021, but in 2022, the hotel received 13 canceled transactions stemming from Paul’s credit card totaling $116,587, or more than 2.4 million pesos, according to a press release from the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Quintana Roo.
The Palace Company told Fox News Digital in a statement that “between 2016 and 2021, the Akeos knowingly and willingly entered into 19 separate membership agreements with Palace Elite (attached), investing over $1.4 million USD in exchange for exclusive benefits and rates intended strictly for personal use.”
OKLAHOMA COLLEGE STUDENTS SAY THEY WERE DRUGGED AT CANCUN RESORT POOL BAR IN VACATION NIGHTMARE
“In 2021,” the company continued, “they were found to be in material breach of those agreements after promoting and profiting from their benefits on social media—conduct explicitly prohibited under the terms they agreed to. They were formally notified of this violation and, in April 2022, signed a waiver acknowledging their breach and committing to refrain from any further use of Palace Elite branding or commentary about the company.”
The State Department is aware of Christy and Paul Akeos’ detention in Mexico. (handout)
After signing the waiver, the Palace Company alleged, the Akeos “began disputing their membership charges with their credit card companies.”
“These disputes—despite relating to services they had actively used—were granted, resulting in over $100,000 USD in reversed payments and substantial financial harm to Palace Elite,” the Palace Company said.
TROPICAL RESORTS POPULAR WITH AMERICANS NO LONGER ‘OFF LIMITS’ FOR CARTEL KILLERS: ‘THE RULES HAVE CHANGED’
Palace Elite filed a criminal complaint in August 2023.
Members of the National Guard patrol a beach in the Hotel Zone of Cancun, Quintana Roo state, Mexico, on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021. (Cesar Rodriguez/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Akeos’ attorney, responding to the Palace’s statement, said Christy wrote to a Palace representative on April 8, 2022, saying she and Paul “do still believe we have done nothing wrong to breach our contract but feel Palace has given us no other option but to sign the documents, even though this is against our better judgment.”
“We love Palace Resorts and would miss it if we could not go,” she wrote at the time.
Her attorney said there is dispute over whether the Akeos had the right to market and sell their timeshare “weeks” at the resort to third parties, but they believe the matter should be resolved in a civil suit and should not have resulted in the Akeos being sent to prison.
American Express did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Read the full article from Here
WHEELING, Ill. (WLS) — North suburban police believe a man found dead near the Chicago Executive Airport viewing area on Sunday morning may have been killed in a crash.
Prospect Heights police said its officers responded to the area of 79 Palatine Frontage Road in Wheeling just after 9 a.m.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
There, officers found a man lying on the ground along the fence. Police said the man, who was unconscious and cold to the touch, was pronounced dead on the scene.
A preliminary investigation indicates that the man may have been hit by a vehicle, police said.
When officers arrived on the scene, there were no witnesses or vehicles that appeared to be connected to the possible crash.
East Palatine Frontage Road at Milwaukee Avenue is closed as police investigate.
No one is in custody. The Prospect Heights Police Department asked anyone with information to call them at 847-398-5511.
Authorities did not immediately provide further information.
Copyright © 2026 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
The Indiana Hoosiers are on top of the football world and are enjoying the perks that come with being national champions.
One of those spoils involves a trip to the White House to commemorate their achievement later this month, but the most popular player from that team might not be there.
Advertisement
USA TODAY Sports covered the conflicted decision former Hoosiers and current Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza faces about the White House visit.
Mendoza might not attend due to a scheduling issue involving his new team.
“I believe May 11 is the first day of OTAs,” Mendoza said. “If I’m not mistaken, I have the calendar — I mean, I don’t have a calendar, so… If it is on the first day of OTAs, like I said, I’m on the bottom of the totem pole here. I gotta prove myself. I can’t miss practice … I’m a rookie. I don’t think that’s a good look.”
New Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak is sure to love the dedication of his future franchise quarterback, but it’ll be interesting to see if Las Vegas can make an exception for Mendoza should he want one.
Advertisement
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti is expected to make the visit to the White House.
Contact/Follow @College_Wire on X and @College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Indiana Football: Fernando Mendoza may skip White House trip
AMES — In a must-win scenario, Iowa State prevailed, battling back and forth with the No. 22 UCF Knights. The Cyclones are sitting in ninth place in the Big 12 standings, right behind Utah.
Iowa State fell behind 4-0 but scored four in the bottom of the fourth, then took the lead in the fifth, scoring four more. A blown seventh-inning lead led to another chaotic fight to the finish, with the Cyclones coming out on top 13-9.
“Really proud of the grit, really proud of the way they came back,” head coach Jamie Pinkerton said.
In the fourth inning, as the Cyclones were getting no-hits up to that point, sophomore catcher Karlee Ford had a change of plans. On a 1-0 count, she roped a solo homer over the left-field wall to start a rally.
“I always have the same mentality of just putting the ball in play,” Ford said.
Iowa State then scratched across three straight base hits, scoring one in the process, before senior center fielder Tatum Johnson came to the plate. She wouldn’t disappoint, connecting with the first pitch and tripling to left field, tying the game at four.
The fifth inning was more of the same for the Cyclones. Ford came up to the plate with one out and drew her second walk of the game, bringing up senior leader Sydney Malott. Malott had seven hits in 19 at-bats over her last six games, after a 3-for-29 stretch dating back to April 5.
“I automatically knew Syd [Malott] was going to hit me around,” Ford said.
Malott came through, crushing a two-run home run off the top of the scoreboard in left field, her third homer in her recent stretch.
“It’s definitely ups and downs, and you have to keep a steady mind,” Malott said. “Just trying to do whatever I can for my team.”
Two more runners would score after sophomore left fielder Jessie Clemons drove them in with a single down the left-field line.
When it looked like the game would be over in the seventh inning, with the Cyclones up 8-4, the Knights had other plans.
Junior right-handed pitcher Lauren Schurman came out to the circle to start the seventh, having not allowed a run since the fourth inning after relieving freshman right-handed pitcher Liv Palumbo.
Pinkerton made a defensive change, moving senior Tiana Poole to right field to replace sophomore Hayleigh Oliver.
This decision proved costly as, on the first batted ball of the inning, a deep fly ball to right field was misjudged, resulting in a triple.
This started a rally for UCF, as it reached base in six consecutive at-bats on four singles, one walk and one hit batter, scoring four runs to tie the game at 8-8.
Senior right-handed pitcher Jaiden Ralston came in to relieve Schurman and faced three batters but allowed the go-ahead run to score on a sacrifice fly, giving the Knights a 9-8 lead heading into the bottom half of the inning.
UCF brought in redshirt sophomore ace right-handed pitcher Isabella Vega, who previously threw a complete game and struck out eight Cyclones in game one.
After junior pinch hitter Isabelle Nosan recorded the first out of the inning, senior third baseman McKenna Andrews drew a nine-pitch walk. She was out at second on a Clemons fielder’s choice for the second out.
Johnson and senior shortstop Reagan Bartholomew then drew full-count walks, bringing up sophomore second baseman Kadence Shepherd.
Shepherd roped the third pitch of her at-bat through the left side, tying the game at 9-9.
That brought up Ford, who was 1-for-2 with two walks, including her solo homer that broke up the no-hitter in the fourth inning.
On a 2-2 count, Ford didn’t miss, crushing a grand slam over the right-center wall.
“Karlee Ford’s been clutch all year,” Pinkerton said. “Huge hit.”
For Malott, the moment reflected the team’s mindset throughout the game.
“We just kept fighting the whole game,” Malott said. “No one ever thought we were out of it.”
The win pushed Iowa State’s conference record to 9-14. Utah sits at 9-13-1 after its win against Arizona.
For the Cyclones to make the tournament, they need to win the season finale against UCF and have Utah lose its finale against Arizona.
-
Delaware1 minute agoBrazen Daytime Robbery Reported At Newark Store
-
Georgia13 minutes agoKalitta Goes Quick As Big Georgia Crowd Looks On – SPEED SPORT
-
Hawaii19 minutes agoHawaiian Airlines Is Gone. Travelers Just Lost The Airline That Knew Hawaii Best.
-
Idaho25 minutes agoIdaho Belles & Chimes club teams with Starbelly School of Dance for Girls’ Day Out
-
Illinois31 minutes agoMan found dead near Chicago Executive Airport may have been killed in crash: police
-
Indiana37 minutes agoIndiana football to visit White House, Fernando Mendoza may skip
-
Iowa43 minutes agoFord’s walk-off slam lifts Cyclones in must-win thriller
-
Kansas49 minutes agoThree Potential Bench Pieces Bill Self Can Bolster Kansas’ Roster With