A Florida infant and his mother are dead after their vehicle sank in a mud pit near Disney World on Saturday and the mother's boyfriend could not rescue the two in time, Florida Highway Patrol told the New York Daily News.
Hallie Lewis, 22, her boyfriend Taylor Brown and their 1-year-old son Brason went for an off-roading excursion through swampland near Orlando's Disney World when the jeep became lodged in mud up to the door handles. Brown left the jeep to get another car to pull their vehicle from the mud, but he returned to find his girlfriend and son unresponsive.
Unbeknownst to Brown, chunks of mud became stuck in the car's exhaust pipe. Investigators believe the carbon monoxide buildup killed Lewis and her son, the Daily News reported.
Police said Brown, 21, left the car on with the windows up so his family could stay warm during the cold night.
"He thought (Lewis) was sleeping but realized she was unresponsive when he called out to her and she didn't respond," FHP spokeswoman Sergeant Kim Montes told the newspaper.
"He's been totally cooperative. Obviously he's distraught, but we're working on a timeline to figure out how long they were inside the car."
Brown had to exit the jeep through the back window when he initially left to get the second car. When he found his son and Lewis unconscious, he got them out of the car and had a friend drive them five miles to a fire department.
Paramedics rushed Brason and his mother to the hospital, but she was pronounced dead that night. Brason was admitted to Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital in critical condition. He died on Sunday.
Police are waiting for autopsy reports before confirming if the deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning.
