7 people, including 3 children, found in Minnesota home died of carbon monoxide poisoning, medical examiner says
Authorities said Wednesday that the seven people who were found dead inside a home in a northwestern Minnesota city earlier this week died of carbon monoxide poisoning. The victims were an immigrant family from Honduras and included four adults and three children, the Associated Press reported.
They were found just before 8 p.m. Saturday by family members conducting a welfare check at the home in Moorhead. Those family members called police.
Investigators found two sources that produce carbon monoxide — a furnace and a Kia van, both located in the garage. The furnace appeared to be working properly, while the Kia had "some mechanical issues related to the battery," Moorhead police wrote on Facebook Wednesday. The van was found with a dead battery and a half-full tank of gas.
The source of the carbon monoxide has not yet been determined. The victims' blood samples are being analyzed to "determine if there is a presence of hydrogen cyanide which originates from the exhaust of a motor vehicle," police said. The process could take up to eight weeks.
A carbon monoxide detector was found in the house, but it was unplugged. The only working detectors in the house were for smoke, police said. The building had last been inspected in 2020, and no issues were found with the detectors.
Police previously said there were no signs of violence or forced entry into the residence and "there is no known threat to the public," according to CBS Minnesota.
The family members were identified as Belin Hernandez, 37; Marleny Pinto, 34; Eldor Hernandez Castillo, 32; Mariela Guzman Pinto, 19; Breylin Hernandez, 16; Mike Hernandez, 7, and Marbely Hernandez, 5. They all lived together in the home, according to the AP.
"This is an absolute horrible tragedy, made even more poignant since it is close to the holidays," Moorhead Mayor Shelly Carlson wrote in a statement sent to the Star Tribune. "My heart aches for the family and friends who received this devastating news over the weekend. Our community mourns with them during this heartbreaking time."
The bodies were taken to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office in St. Paul.
Neighbors said the children were last seen Friday, KFGO radio reported.
The children attended Moorhead High School and Reinertsen Elementary, CBS Minnesota reported. Grief counselors were on hand Monday for students in the school district.
Moorhead is on the Minnesota border next to Fargo, North Dakota, in a metropolitan area of about 230,000 people.
