A family of six in San Antonio, Texas were found dead inside their residence on Thursday in what authorities believe to be a murder-suicide. Local police officers discovered the dead bodies of two adults and four children rotting inside an SUV located inside their garage.
On Thursday night, William McManus, the San Antonio Police Chief announced the family's death during a news conference. He also said that the identities of the family members had not been identified but noted that the parents were in their mid-to-late 30s and that the children ranged from 11 months to 4 years old, as reported by CNN.
Foul play?
McManus revealed that the incident does not appear to be an accident; instead, he considered it a suicide and that the cause of death was poisoning from carbon monoxide.
On Thursday, police officers arrived at the residence to conduct a welfare check after the man's workplace filed a request. The employer of the man noted that their employee did not show up to work like he usually did as he was at the time working from home.
Police officers quickly smelled toxic fumes when they opened and front door which prompted them to retreat from the premises.
McManus also revealed that officers found a cryptic note that someone left on the front door which had what appeared to be military jargon, according to The New York Times. They roughly translated it to mean that there were bodies or people inside the residence and cautioned anyone not to enter.
A robot was sent to investigate the residence as officers feared the home was rigged with explosives. Authorities also called for medical emergency services to be ready for what they could find inside.
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When officers finally entered the garage, they found the bodies of the family inside a small SUV. McManus said the family had ties to the military but did not specify on which branch they were associated with,
The father was last seen on Wednesday checking in for work, which leads the police chief to believe that the deaths happened overnight. "This is just the very beginning of the investigation," he added.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning is severely dangerous as the gas itself has no taste or odour, leaving very little to alert a person to its presence. In small doses, it can produce health risks, and at high levels, it could cause death, as reported by the National Health Service (NHS).
There are around 60 reported deaths each year due to Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in the regions of England and Wales.
When a person inhales carbon monoxide, it quickly enters the bloodstream and mixes itself with haemoglobin which results in carboxyhaemoglobin. This event causes blood to no longer be able to carry oxygen properly and results in less oxygen availability which eventually leads to suffocation and death.
Signs and symptoms of the poisoning include dizziness, exhaustion, the feeling of being unwell, stomach pains, and difficulty in breathing. Extended exposure to the gas will cause the symptoms to worsen gradually.
