Michigan family jailed in Mexico over timeshare dispute

DETROIT (FOX 2) - It has been an international nightmare for two American citizens who are stuck in a Mexican jail for a dispute over a time-share for 21 days.

What they're saying:

Lindsey Lemke Hull’s parents had a membership with the Palace Resorts, a company based in Florida that owns a number of resorts and time-shares in Mexico, but Lemke Hull says the Palace Resorts breached the contract.   

"They even hired a lawyer previously to help with the situation - to make sure they handle things correctly," Lemke Hall said.

That was said to be about $117,000, but it was over a year ago. There was no dispute, or so they thought.

Big picture view:

The parents decided to go to Cancun but were detained and arrested as soon as their airplane landed, Lemke Hull said. Customs officials claimed they had outstanding charges of criminal fraud and sent them straight to jail. 

That was 21 days ago.  

"She’s very confused. She cries a lot. She is scared she’s unaware of the amount of corruption that is going on with this case. She is upset because she can’t see her husband or speak to her husband about anything," Lemke Hull said. "She’s just there."

Her husband is Lempke Hull's stepfather, 60-year-old Paul Akeo, a 21-year veteran of the US Navy and currently works for the Michigan State Police. 

"Our country is allowing two US citizens to sit in prison over a timeshare dispute Mexico," Lemke Hull said.

Dig deeper:

Lemke Hull was the two-time national champion gymnast at Michigan State University and a survivor of Dr. Larry Nassar.

Now, she just wants her parents' home.

"We need help from our government," she said. "We need them to realize that there are two innocent Americans being held hostage in a Mexican prison over a timeshare dispute and by them not acting and doing anything about it, they are allowing Mexico to do that."

What's next:

At the last hearing, it was determined that the Palace Resorts would be given six more months to gather evidence, which means that Lemke Hull's parents will stay jailed in Mexico for at least six more months.

There’s no trial date set.

Editor's Note: A previous version of this story did not include the full name of the source for this article. The story has been updated to reflect the change.