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Carbon monoxide leak is confirmed as cause of houseboat deaths(St. Louis Post-Dispatch Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 8--An old generator with a leak -- and a carbon monoxide detector that lacked batteries -- combined for the deadly poisoning case that killed two couples from Elsberry aboard a houseboat Sunday, officials said Tuesday. Chris McCloud, a spokesman with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said the state was closing its investigation now that a mechanic who specializes in different types of generators found the leak. Carbon monoxide -- produced by propane heaters and stoves, gasoline- and diesel-powered generators and a variety of other devices -- is odorless and colorless. All four people on the houseboat died. They were the boat's owner, Dale Ryan, 48; his wife, Jody, 38; Jody's brother, William Boehm, 50; and his wife, Ruth, 49. All were from Elsberry in Lincoln County. Friends found them dead Sunday inside the houseboat, which was anchored at Tisdel Towhead, an island in Calhoun County, Ill. The boat was built in 1972, and the generator was a 1972 model -- though McCloud said investigators weren't sure if it was the boat's original generator. "The mechanic did find an exhaust leak, and there was a seal on the exhaust manifold that produced the leak," McCloud said. "The carbon monoxide leaked into the hull of the vessel and then to where the people were." Investigators found a carbon monoxide detector onboard, but it had no batteries, McCloud added. The houseboat had two motors that propel the boat and the onboard generator that was used to power a refrigerator, stove and stereo. The heating and air conditioning systems were electrical, McCloud said. [email protected] -- 314-340-8115 To see more of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.stltoday.com. Copyright (c) 2008, St. Louis Post-Dispatch Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |