The Creston Police Department has confirmed the worst news in the case of a missing Creston family. Authorities said today, that at 12:02-a.m. today (Friday), immediate family members of the Sharp family came to the Creston Police Department to report the family missing. Missing persons reports were entered into the nationwide database. Officers were able to make rapid contact with the U-S State Department. A welfare check was conducted at the condominium where the family was believed to have been staying in Mexico.

Upon investigation, the bodies of 41-year old Kevin Wayne Sharp, his wife, 38-year old Amy Marie Sharp, their children, 12-year old Sterling Wayne Sharp, and 7-year old Adrianna Marie Sharp, were found. Autopsies are being performed in Mexico, and results are pending.

The family left the United States on March 15th, destined for Tulum, Mexico. They were scheduled to depart Cancun, Mexico at 2:45-p.m. Wednesday, March 21st, and had been scheduled to arrive in St. Louis at around 6-p.m. that same day. They had plans to attend the Southwestern Community College basketball game Thursday, in Danville, IL. Family and friends said earlier, that there had been no contact with the family since March 15th, when they arrived at their condo in Tulum. Cell phone pings indicated they were still in Mexico, but with no movement recorded. There was also been no activity on their social media pages.

In an ironic twist, it was 17-years ago, on March 8th 2001, that a Des Moines environmentalist disappeared from his Cabo San Lucas ranch. According to reports at the time, 62-year old Alan H. Blank was reported missing a day after he was scheduled to meet Mexican government officials for approval to construct the zoo.  Blank met that same day with a restaurateur who was hoping to win a food concession contract for the zoo Blank was building in the area.

Blank disappeared after meeting Jimmy Presley, who had reportedly suffered some financial setbacks and was frustrated the government review process was delaying the project in Mexico. The Blank family believes Presley attacked Alan Blank and may have killed him. Presley himself died March 9th, 2001 in what Mexican authorities said was a suicide by driving his van, head-on into a large bus. Blank’s family declared him dead in April, 2001, after an extensive search failed to locate him.

The Blank family founded the Blank Park Zoo and Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines.