Concern grows over Spring Arbor parents imprisoned in Mexico
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — A couple from Spring Arbor has been held in a Mexican prison for weeks, with no sign of being released. The has gone national, and their loved ones are desperate to get them back home.
The Akeos were detained after landing at the Cancun International Airport on March 4, stemming from a contract dispute dating back to 2021 that they thought was behind them.
6 News spoke with their children, Lindsey Hull and Michael Lemke, to find out what might happen next.
'Every second of every day, we are concerned for their safety, especially with the lack of communication,' says Hull. 'The idea that they're sitting in a maximum-security prison over a time-share dispute at best is unacceptable.'
Hull says they are being falsely accused of defrauding Palace Resorts out of more than $110,000 and that the dispute goes back to 2021. The Akeo family says Palace Resorts breached a timeshare contract they had signed with the Akeo parents, leading them to seek legal advice.
Hull says they then presented evidence to their bank, who agreed with them, cancelling more than $110,000 of payments. The Akeo parents thought the dispute was over, but they were arrested and are now locked up in Centro de Reinserción Social de Cancún, according to their son Michael Lemke.
'The situation is incredibly unfortunate over something that is a contract dispute that we felt, I should say it seemed like was done and over with,' says Lemke. 'The big thing for us is just bringing them home.'
The siblings say their stay in the prison has already taken a toll on them, especially their mother.
'They've been serving her food. The problem is there's been several times where they've served her food that she's allergic to or cannot eat because of that,' says Lemke. 'She's been having this rash that keeps breaking out on her just after some food, so she's only able to eat certain things.'
Lemke says a Mexican judge has given Palace Resorts six months to gather evidence—meaning the Akeos could be detained for much longer.
The siblings have been able to speak with their mother over the phone several times but still haven't heard from their stepfather.
The U.S. government is aware of the situation, but so far, no agreement has been reached for their release as of Tuesday.
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