Domingo Ramirez Jr.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
FORT WORTH, Texas — An Arlington firefighter’s family believes he was kidnapped and killed at a Mexican resort while he was with his wife celebrating their 10-year anniversary, according to news reports.
KTVT-TV first reported Thursday that Elijah Snow was found dead Monday morning after the couple’s first night on vacation at a resort in Cancun.
His wife, Jamie Snow, went searching for him Monday morning when he didn’t return to their room, and she was told by someone that he had been found dead and had possibly fallen over a wall between resorts, the TV station reported.
Family members did not believe that explanation, and hired a local attorney who obtained crime scene photos, according to KTVT-TV.
Randy Elledge, Snow’s father-in-law, told the TV station that it appeared that Elijah Snow was beaten and possibly suffocated.
“The Arlington Fire Department is devastated by the loss of Apparatus Operator Elijah Snow,” said Arlington Fire Chief Don Crowson in a Thursday email to the Star-Telegram. “The tragedy occurred while he was on vacation in Mexico. He was an outstanding firefighter as well as a dedicated public servant.”
Snow had been an Arlington firefighter for eight years, according to the department.
Snow’s death occurred at a beachfront hotel that’s popular with tourists.
KTVT-TV reported that the couple had a few drinks at the hotel bar and decided to head back to their room, but Elijah Snow stopped and went back to the bar while his wife went to their room and fell asleep.
Jamie Snow woke up at 4 a.m., only to find her husband never returned, KXAS-TV reported. A few hours later, she was told he was dead.
“He was our hero. The best dad and husband imaginable and my absolute best friend,” Jamie Snow posted on her father’s Facebook page on Wednesday. “There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do.”
Elijah Snow was the son of Arlington firefighter Ronnie Snow, who died in 1985 during a training accident, according to Arlington fire officials.
To help the Snow family, donations can be made to the Arlington Charitable Fund.
“During this time of mourning many have asked about making donations to Elijah Snow’s family,” according to a post on the Arlington Professional Fire Fighters Facebook page. “Donations can be made to the Arlington Charitable Fund and if you can place a note that it is for ‘Elijah’s Family,’ the APFF will make sure that the family receives it. If for some reason you can not leave a note, message us and inform us of your donation. Please join us in continuous prayers for the family.”
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