A heartbreaking tragedy has struck an Illinois family after a mother and her two teenage sons were found dead, reportedly due to carbon monoxide poisoning while on vacation in Mexico.
According to reports from ABC affiliate WLS and the Daily Herald, 41-year-old Brenda Correa and her sons, Leo, 15, and Armando, 13, passed away on July 2 after toxic gas seeped into the residence where they were staying during their trip to Mexico.
Brenda worked at the Westerhold Early Learning Center, part of Community Consolidated School District 62, while her sons were students at Algonquin Middle School in Des Plaines. The school district confirmed the deaths to PEOPLE, stating the family had been visiting Mexico when the incident occurred.
“Mrs. Correa was a cherished part of our ELC community. We are heartbroken by her loss and that of her two children,” Superintendent Dr. Michael Amadei wrote in a letter to families connected to the school on July 2. “Because the tragedy happened abroad, we don’t yet have full details, including funeral arrangements, but we’ll share any updates as they become available.”
The district also expressed sympathy and support to Brenda’s husband and daughter, who survived.
Milena Mroczek, Brenda’s sister-in-law, told the Daily Herald that the three were staying at a family property in Michoacán, a state in western-central Mexico.
After several unanswered calls, a relative went to the home and discovered the boys unresponsive near their beds, and Brenda was found in the shower, according to the Daily Herald. No one else was in the home at the time, and Brenda’s husband, Armando Correa Sr., and daughter, Brittany, remained in the U.S.
Neither Mroczek nor Mexican officials responded immediately to requests for comment.
In a Facebook post following the tragedy, Mroczek asked for support.
“With hope and strength, I reach out for help, dear friends,” she wrote. “Tragedy has struck our family yet again.”
At first, the family set up a GoFundMe campaign to help bring their loved ones’ bodies back to the U.S., but later shared that the victims would be laid to rest in Mexico due to the ongoing investigation. Donations are now being used to pay for funeral expenses.
A memorial mass is planned for Saturday, July 12, according to Mroczek’s social media update.
In another Facebook tribute, a friend shared her sorrow over Brenda’s death.
“This is an enormous loss for our community. Brenda was one of the kindest, most caring people you could ever meet,” she wrote. “Rest peacefully, Brenda, with your beautiful sons
