3 found dead in Nahant home with elevated carbon monoxide levels
NAHANT - Three people were found dead in a home with elevated carbon monoxide levels in Nahant.
Nahant police and firefighters were called to the house on Cottage Street to conduct a wellbeing check Monday morning. Inside they discovered the bodies of 77-year-old John Benson, his 74-year-old sister-in-law Youngae Benson, and 45 year-old Andrew Carruth, who was the nephew of John Benson.
The Essex County District Attorney said they died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.
Authorities say foul play is not suspected and there is no danger to the community.
Police returned to the scene late Tuesday afternoon, where officers could be seen checking some heating equipment on the ground floor.
"Wonderful people. That's all I can say about them," said John Moleti, who knew them.
"You couldn't get better people. They were wonderful. Anything I wanted, they helped me with," said their neighbor Ted Mahoney.
Mahoney said he had not seen the residents in a couple days. "Before Christmas, I saw a van in the yard I think it was a plumbing van," he said. "I'm wondering what the cause is, whether it was a vent pipe from the water heater, or what," said Moleti.
Nahant Police Lt. Stephen Shultz warned about the symptoms people can feel from breathing in the colorless, odorless gas. "Nausea, groggy, vomiting, headaches are a big one," he said. "All year long, it's best if you have working carbon monoxide detectors in your house. Make sure those batteries are changed every year."