Police: 3 Deaths Likely Caused By Carbon Monoxide
FLINT (WWJ/AP) - A couple and an 11-year-old boy died in what is believed to be a case of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, authorities in Flint said Tuesday.
The three were found unconscious in their home about 6 a.m. Christmas Day, police said. The adults were dead at the scene, and the 11-year-old boy died at a hospital. Carbon monoxide was the apparent cause, police said, autopsies are planned.
Police identified the dead as 43-year-old LeTroy Edwards, 37-year-old Selena Carranza and 11-year-old Jayson Cobbin. Relatives say Jayson was Carranza's son.
Several other people who were in different parts of the house managed to escape, police said.
The family had planned to gather at the house for dinner on Christmas evening. Instead, they gathered outside the home, and then went inside to retrieve scores of still-wrapped Christmas presents, Mlive.com reported.
"I'm numb - I have a very numb feeling right now," said Roy Reeves, 64, Edwards' father. "It's hard for me to describe it."
Edwards worked as a handyman doing all sorts of odd jobs, Reeves said. He said Edwards also enjoyed fishing. They'd gone through a period of strained relations but were beginning to resolve their differences, Reeves said.
"They said we were a lot alike," Reeves said. "Down through the years we didn't always get along, but we were getting better. That's the part I will think about - that we were trying to get things squared away."
Police said they aren't sure what exactly caused the home to be filled with deadly carbon monoxide, but an investigation is ongoing.
On Monday, two people died of apparent carbon monoxide poisoning in Bruce Township, according to the Macomb County Sheriff's Department. The department referred requests for details to state police, who declined comment Tuesday.
About 400 people die nationwide each year from carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Carbon monoxide is created when something burns without an adequate supply of oxygen. It can come from defective furnaces or space heaters used with inadequate ventilation.
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