U.S. family poisoned by carbon monoxide

MOORHEAD, Minnesota — Seven members of an immigrant family from Honduras whose bodies were found inside a Minnesota home last weekend died of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, authorities said Wednesday.

Relatives discovered the victims Saturday night in a home in Moorhead when they went to check on them after not hearing from them. Neighbours said the children were last seen Friday.

Officials with the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office in St. Paul examined blood samples to determine cause of death. The tests showed a lethal level of carbon monoxide, authorities said.

Police Chief Shannon Monroe said the carbon monoxide came from either the home’s furnace or a van in the garage.

Technicians couldn’t find a defect in the furnace that would have sent carbon monoxide into the home. Moore said further tests were being carried out to determine whether the victims had hydrogen cyanide in their blood, which would point to the van.

Investigators found that a carbon monoxide detector in the garage had been removed and replaced with a smoke-only detector. Monroe said the van had a half-tank of gas and a dead battery. Asked about the significance, the chief said in cases of intentional carbon monoxide exposure, vehicles are usually found with empty gas tanks.

“We have not found anything indicating any kind of criminal activity,” Monroe said. He said the evidence pointed to an accident.

The ages of the adults in the family ranged from 37 to 19. There were three children, ages 16, seven and five. They all lived together in the home, police said.

Their relatives described them as happy people who were relieved to get away from turmoil in Honduras. They had been in the U.S. between three and eight years.