It was supposed to be their happiest day ever. But as Mark and Courtney Schaefer exchanged vows and cut the cake, someone was burglarizing them and their wedding party.
"But it's pretty evident that they took a key which allowed them access into all of our rooms," Courtney said.
The Schaefer's say they think it was an inside job. Twenty-five of the 36 rooms occupied by their guests were gutted of cash and jewelry, worth over $70,000. For months no one, not the Eurostar Hotel chain, the Mexican government, or the American Consulate seemed to care.
That's when the family decided to call on Congressman Nick Lampson here at his Stafford office.
"And as quickly as we got involved, I think things started move," Congressman Lampson said.
Lampson met with Mexican Consulate officials. Then high level government officials got involved. And within weeks, word was the stolen items had been found.
And now the hotel is saying we'll pay your expenses to come down here and claim it if necessary.
Officials said two resort staff members were found hiding in the jungle with the money and jewelry. But from what the Schaefer's can tell, it's only a fraction of what was stolen.
For his part, Lampson says the story is far from over.
But that may be a long road. Mark and Courtney used to make Mexico a regular destination. Now that could change.
"I don't know. Florida looks pretty nice," Courtney said.
Congressman Lampson says he intends to work more with Mexican officials to ensure better security for American visitors. The Schaefer's say their loss actually hurt the resort, since they planned to tip the hotel staff with some of the stolen money.
