Police are citing carbon monoxide poisoning as a factor in the deaths of two people found inside a vehicle in Orange County last weekend.
The bodies of Cody Coburn, 28, of Vershire and Joelle Ryder, 36, of Sharon were discovered Saturday afternoon, according to the Vermont State Police.
Troopers found the bodies inside an SUV in the driveway of a home on Parker Road in Vershire. A relative of one of the victims — the owner of the home — called police at about 12:05 p.m. that day, saying there appeared to be two dead bodies in the vehicle.
Accidental carbon monoxide poisoning appeared to play a part in the two’s deaths, according to preliminary information from the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington.
Police provided no other details about the deaths, and investigators are still looking into the incident.
Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs more commonly in the winter months, said Bill Irwin, with the state Department of Health’s environmental health division, when more people are running generators and furnaces.
“It is a very preventable accidental death or injury,” Irwin said.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is typically related to a combustible engine or heating system indoors, he said. When someone leaves a vehicle on inside a garage — perhaps to warm it up on a winter morning — the gas can build up inside the garage and move into connected buildings, he said.
It’s more difficult for carbon monoxide to build up when the source is outside — because air dilutes the gas — but it’s still possible, Irwin said.
Built-up carbon monoxide can also enter a vehicle if corrosion damage or manufacturing flaws have left gaps in its passenger compartment, he said.
Because carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless, people can have difficulty detecting its presence before health hazards appear.
When inhaled, it prevents oxygen from getting to parts of the body.
“It’s sort of asphyxiation,” Irwin said. “The carbon monoxide poisons the blood and poisons it by eliminating the possibility of oxygen getting to the tissues.”
In the early stages of poisoning, people can experience fatigue, loss of coordination and nausea, Irwin said, adding that it feels like a case of the flu.
People and physicians should pay attention to when and how the symptoms are occurring, Irwin said. If the symptoms are limited to an indoor space, carbon monoxide poisoning is more likely to be in play, he said.
