A Honduran immigrant family of seven whose bodies were found Dec. 18 in Moorhead, Minnesota, died of carbon monoxide poisoning, according to a Wednesday press release from police.
Police Chief Shannon Monroe said at a Wednesday press conference that relatives notified the Moorhead Police Department after finding the victims’ lifeless bodies Dec. 18 at around 7:50 p.m. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s office ruled out trauma as a possible cause of death and later discovered a lethal level of carbon monoxide toxicity in the victims’ bloodstreams, according to the release.
Police identified the victims as 37-year-old Belin Hernandez, 34-year-old Marleny Pinto, 32-year-old Eldor Hernandez Castillo, 19-year-old Mariela Guzman Pinto, 16-year-old Breylin Hernandez, 7-year-old Mike and 5-year-old Marbely, according to a Dec. 20 post. Five of the victims were found in their beds, while Belin and Marleny were found lying on their bedroom floor, Fox News reported.
Monroe said at the conference that detectives worked alongside the Moorhead Fire Department, the State Fire Marshal’s office, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to investigate the case. He said the examiner’s office found that the victims appeared to be red in color and lab tests confirmed carbon monoxide poisoning to be the cause of death.
Police said that investigators found a furnace located inside the garage with an “exterior intake for fresh air” and a Kia van that had a dead battery and a half-full gas tank, according to the latest report. Mechanics that tested the vehicle told authorities that the alternator worked correctly. (RELATED: 3 Dead, 2 Critical After Carbon Monoxide Leak At Michigan County Music Festival, Authorities Say)
Detectives, along with the State Fire Marshal and an HVAC official, investigated any errors inside the furnace that could have led to the victims’ deaths, the report said. However, the professionals concluded that no furnace malfunctions were discovered.
Monroe also said that the victims were dressed in light clothes which led detectives to believe that the furnace “was heating sufficiently.” When law enforcement officials arrived, the home’s temperature was 54 degrees and only the furnace fan was on, according to Monroe.
Police said detectives found a carbon monoxide detector in the laundry room cabinet that lacked a battery, the report says. The house only had its smoke alarm devices in use.
The victims’ blood samples are being studied in a separate lab to look for hydrogen cyanide, which stems from the exhaust of a motor vehicle, the Wednesday report said. The test results could take up to eight weeks to complete and will further determine the possible cause of the poisoning.