- Three people, including a grandmother and her grandchildren, were found dead in a parked Ford Explorer in Toledo, Ohio, on Wednesday in an incident authorities described as an accident.
- Two children were hospitalized in critical condition, Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said.
- Fire Chief Allison Armstrong said investigators recorded “a high spike of carbon monoxide inside the passenger compartment” after starting the vehicle with doors closed.
- The Ford Explorer had pulled over with a flat tire, and the woman’s son who had been called to help found the five victims unresponsive, city spokesperson Rachel Hart said.
Fire chief says testing showed high spike of carbon monoxide inside passenger compartment
The Ford Explorer pulled into a parking lot after suffering a flat tire, and the five occupants were found unresponsive shortly after 11 a.m. Wednesday, Toledo Fire Chief Allison Armstrong said.
City spokesperson Rachel Hart said the victims included a grandmother and her grandchildren. The woman’s son, who had been called to help with the flat tire, discovered the bodies, Hart said.
Three of the five victims died, while two children were hospitalized in critical condition. Their names, ages, and hometowns were not immediately released.
Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said foul play was not suspected. “Today, a family experienced a tragedy that no family should ever have to endure,” the mayor wrote on Facebook.
Investigators later started the vehicle with the doors closed and placed a meter inside to test for carbon monoxide levels. “We had a high spike of carbon monoxide inside the passenger compartment on that vehicle,” Armstrong said in a telephone interview.