MOORHEAD, Minn. — Authorities said seven family members found in a Minnesota home on Saturday night died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The Moorhead Police Department said Wednesday that preliminary blood examination results from the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office showed lethal levels of carbon monoxide in the victims, WCCO-TV reported.
The family, from Honduras, was discovered by family members in a duplex in Moorhead, the Star-Tribune of Minneapolis reported.
The victims were identified as Belin Hernandez, 37; Marleny Pinto, 34; Breylin Hernandez, 16; Mike Hernandez, 7; Marbely Hernandez, 5; Eldor Hernandez Castillo, 32; and Mariela Guzman Pinto, 19, the newspaper reported. Mike Hernandez and Marbely Hernandez went to nearby S.G. Reinertsen Elementary School, while Breylin Hernandez attended Moorhead High School.
The family moved to Minnesota from Honduras in 2013, according to WCCO.
“We are shocked. We feel like it’s a nightmare,” Alfredo Hutar, fiancé of Mariela Guzman Pinto, told the Star-Tribune. “We have more questions than answers.”
Hutar said the family had lived in the duplex for about two years. Belin Hernandez and Marleny Pinto were the parents of Breylin, Mike and Marbely, according to Hutar, while Castillo was Belin’s brother and Mariela was Marleny’s niece, the newspaper reported.
Investigators said they found two sources at the home that produces carbon monoxide, according to WCCO: a furnace and a Kia van parked in the garage.
Police Chief Shannon Monroe said further tests were being done to determine whether the victims had hydrogen cyanide in their blood, which would point to the van, according to The Associated Press. Those tests might take up to eight weeks, Monroe said.
“We have not found anything indicating any kind of criminal activity,” Monroe said at a news conference.
“Our Moorhead Area Public Schools family is deeply impacted and our counselors, social workers and administrators are focused extensively on supporting students and staff through this difficult time,” Brenda Richman, executive director of community engagement and public relations for the school district, said in a statement.
“At the end of the day, there are seven individuals that have been lost, and this family is grieving,” Moorhead Mayor Shelly Carlson told the Star-Tribune. “That’s the first step, the most important step. How do we help this family as they go through this process? When you lose seven people in your family, there are so many things coming at you.”