A single father and his seven kids were found dead in their one-story Maryland home on Monday, a tragedy police say was caused by a gasoline-powered generator the father bought to keep his family warm after the power was shut off.
Rodney Todd, 36, and his seven children- two boys and five girls between ages 6 and 15- were found dead in their wood-frame home in small town Princess Anne, the Associated Press reported. Police made the heartbreaking discovery when staff at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore where Todd worked in the kitchen filed a missing persons report after not seeing him for over a week.
Scott Keller, Princess Anne police chief, said they found a generator in the kitchen that was out of gasoline. While the family's cause of death is still being determined, Scott said they believe it was carbon monoxide poisoning.
"It's so hard. How can you understand something like this?" Bonnie Edwards, Todd's mother, told the AP. "He was an outstanding dad...To keep his seven children warm, he bought a generator, and the carbon monoxide consumed them."
Keller said the electricity had been cut off due to unpaid bills, but they are not yet sure when. Todd previously received financial assistance to help pay utility bills, according to Tom VanLandingham of the Office of Home Energy Programs.
But he does not know why Todd did not apply for assistance this time around, he told the AP.
Todd's children have been identified as boys Zycheim, 7, and 13-year-old Cameron, according to WJZ. His daughters are Tynijuiza, 15; Tykira, 12; Tybree, 10; Tyania, 9; and Tybria, 6.
"I feel empty," Edwards said as she described her son as a wonderful father who taught her grandkids to respect their elders and always bought gifts for their birthdays even though money was tight. Todd gained sole custody of his children following his divorce.
"There was nothing he wouldn't do for them," Edwards told the AP. "If he couldn't do it, he'd sit them down and tell them, 'Dad has to pay for this- I might not be able to get it this time, but I will get it to you when I can.'
"And they understood. All he was trying to do was to keep his kids warm."
The electric company Delmarva Power would not confirm if power was cut off at Todd's home but said it is investigating the incident, the AP reported. It is illegal under Maryland law for a power company to stop providing electricity due to outstanding bills between Nov.1 and March 31.