Carbon monoxide was detected inside a Ford Explorer after three people were found dead and two children rushed to the hospital.
A grandmother and her grandchildren were inside the vehicle when a flat tire caused them to pull into a parking lot. The grandmother’s son, who had been called to help, found the bodies shortly after 11 a.m. Wednesday, Toledo Fire Chief Allison Armstrong said.
Officials described the incident as an accident and investigators confirmed "a high spike of carbon monoxide” inside the vehicle after tests were conducted.
Investigators started the vehicle with the doors closed and a meter inside. In a telephone interview, Armstrong said, "we had a high spike of carbon monoxide inside the passenger compartment on that vehicle."
The vehicle was towed for investigation.
Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz stated that foul play is not suspected. Names, ages, and hometowns of the victims were not immediately released, but the mayor posted on Facebook: "Today, a family experienced a tragedy that no family should ever have to endure."
Armstrong stressed the importance of identifying the cause: "They’re going to have to do some further investigation to see if they can identify how does that happen... I think that’s an important piece of this that people want to know, and they should know for everybody’s safety."
Chief Armstrong recalled a "very similar" carbon monoxide incident years ago involving gas seeping through floorboard holes.
This tragedy follows a six-year federal probe into Ford Explorer exhaust odors. In 2023, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reviewed over 6,500 complaints and tested 2011-2017 models, concluding no high carbon monoxide levels and no recall was needed.
The specific model year of the Ford Explorer involved in Wednesday’s incident is not yet known, Armstrong said.
