An American college student was discovered dead in Mexico while on spring break, despite State Department warnings to avoid the country due to violence.
According to reports, Henry Meacock was an Ohio State University student who went to Mexico for spring break earlier this week.
The university confirmed his death, but no specifics about when, where, or how Meacock died have been released.
“The Ohio State community has suffered a tragic loss, and we extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Henry Meacock,” OSU said in a statement. The university also refers students to the counseling center for assistance.
Thousands of students continue to travel to Mexico for spring break.
Another student, who was airlifted out of Mexico, is on life support in a Florida hospital.
Liza Burke, a senior at the University of Georgia, went to Cabo San Lucas for spring break with her friends earlier this month.
According to her friends, Burke had a headache, lay down, and was unable to wake up. She was flown back to the United States for treatment after her family raised $142,000 in days through a GoFundMe campaign.
Burke, according to sources, has a genetic condition that causes her brain to hemorrhage, which she had prior to her trip to Mexico.
The FBI is still searching for three Americans who went missing last month and investigating the murders of two more.
The State Department issued a Level 4 “do not travel” advisory for much of Mexico last month. Many of those warnings were still in effect as of March 9. This includes Guerrero because of crime, as well as five other states because of crime and kidnapping: Colima, Michoacan, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas (where two Americans were killed earlier this month), and Zacatecas.
The State Department has issued a Level 3 warning to tourists in seven more states: Baja California, Chihuahua, Durango, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Morelos, and Sonora. If you are planning a trip to popular tourist destinations such as Cancun or the Riviera Maya (both of which have been named top destinations by AAA for 2023), the government advises you to “exercise increased caution.”
Spring breakers in Florida have also been victims of violence.
What you need to know about Mexico’s ‘do not travel’ advisories for spring break.
Following two fatal shootings and rowdy, chaotic crowds that police have struggled to control, Miami Beach officials imposed a curfew beginning Sunday night during spring break.
According to a city news release, the curfew will be in effect from 11:59 p.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. Monday, with an additional curfew likely to be imposed Thursday through next Monday, March 27. The curfew primarily affects South Beach, the most popular spring break party destination.
The decision was prompted by two separate shootings Friday night and early Sunday that left two people dead, as well as “excessively large and unruly crowds,” according to the release. The city commission will meet on Monday to discuss potential additional restrictions for the following week.
Following two shootings on Ocean Drive last year, the city imposed a midnight curfew. The previous year, there were approximately 1,000 arrests and dozens of guns confiscated during a rowdy spring break, prompting Miami Beach officials to take steps to calm the situation.
This story was contributed to by the Associated Press.
