‘We'll never leave again:' Spring Arbor couple back home
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Spring Arbor couple Paul and Christy Akeo, who spent almost a month in a , are now back stateside. Their flight touched down at the Capital Region International Airport at around midnight.
Their return to Michigan comes after a Thursday court hearing, in which the court ruled that the Akeos were to be released from custody. The Akeos and U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte) say they are no longer facing charges, and the entire case against them has been dropped.
The pair was on March 4 at an airport in Cancún on fraud allegations. They were accused of defrauding resort chain out of more than $116,000 by breaching a timeshare contract and illegally cancelling membership charges to an American Express credit card.
6 News spoke with , who said his parents could have been held for up to six months, as a judge previously gave the company that much time to gather evidence.
The Akeos' release comes a day after Barrett . Barrett told 6 News he also spoke with the president of the Quintana Roo Supreme Court to work on getting the couple released.
'We are so happy that it's over,' said Christy.
6 News captured the moment when the Akeo's reunited with their family. Paul Akeo shared what happened after police arrested the couple on March 4th.
'We were whisked off to another facility and then we were sent directly to prison. We weren't able to talk to anybody, didn't have any contact with lawyers, didn't have our phones, so we were just sitting there,' said Paul.
The two say days went by before they could talk to their family or even each other. Now, they're sharing what their time spent inside a maximum security prison in Mexico was like.
'It's awful. It's nothing like you would ever want to go through, it's unbelievable. The language barrier is unreal,' said Christy.
Congressman Tom Barrett shared what he saw in the prison as well when he visited the couple in Mexico.
'I walked through part of the interior of the prison, and it was enough for me to see that no person would want to be detained there, no American should have to go through that, especially under the conditions they were in for the amount of time that they were,' the Congressman said.
Christy's kids started reaching out for help after they heard about the arrest. Word go to U.S. Representative Tom Barrett, who flew to Mexico Wednesday to meet with them.
'I insisted when I went down there that I wasn't going to leave empty handed, and I wasn't going to leave without bringing them back,' Rep. Barrett said.
By then the Akeos felt hopeless, even after meeting with Congressman Barrett.
'I never thought we would be coming home for months,' Christy said.
Congressman Barrett said he met with Mexican officials, who arranged a hearing Thursday. That's when the charges against the Akeos were dropped.
'There were some things that were getting a little uncertain at the end and we were able to resolve those quickly, took a lot of effort from all parties involved,' said Rep. Barrett.
The Congressman adds that every level of both the United States and Mexican Governments were involved in this conversation, including President Donald Trump.
'The president was very excited to hear this and expressed his excitement and welcomed them back to America,' Congressman Barrett said.
Christy said now that the couple is home, the first thing she is going to do is take a shower.
'There were no showers there, and if you could take a shower it was cold,' Christy said.
After a month of uncertainty, this family can now rest easy with the Akeos back in the United States.
'Be thankful for what America has given us,' Paul continued. 'And just be thankful for the little things.'
Thursday evening, 6 News received a statement from the Akeo children, saying:
The Akeo family wishes to thank President Donald J. Trump, his Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler and Congressman Tom Barrett(R-Lansing) for working tirelessly for the release of Paul and Christy Akeo. 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. Through four straight weeks of fear and uncertainty, Congressman Barrett's commitment to bringing our parents' home safely provided us with hope and reassurance. He traveled to Cancun at great personal risk, camped out at the prison and made it clear that he would not return home without them. 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. Paul and Christy are under the care of physicians and therapists to be treated for illnesses and trauma inflicted upon them during their captivity. 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.
Lindsey Lemke Hull and Michael Lemke, April 4.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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