3 Die In Missouri CO Poisoning
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
CARTHAGE, Mo. - A Pierceton man, Jeff Cox, 40, and his two children, Kayla Cox, 17, and Derrick Cox, 14, died of carbon monoxide poisoning over the weekend.
Leslie Hodges, 37, also of Pierceton, survived the incident.
Sgt. Ron Thomas, of the Jasper County Sheriff's Department, confirmed the deaths today.
He said all four were exposed to fumes produced by a portable gas generator which was brought out of the rain into a horse trailer.
According to Hodges' aunt, Linda Berger of Warsaw, the group was staying in a horse trailer with a sleeping berth over the weekend.
Thomas could not establish a timeline of events leading up to the deaths because the investigation is incomplete. But he said it appears Hodges stumbled out of the trailer and attempted to call for help but passed out.
After lying unconscious for an unknown period of time, she awoke and called for help at 6:40 a.m. Monday.
"She was close to hypothermic when we found her," Thomas said.
Berger said the four went to sleep Friday night and moved the generator into the horse-hauling portion of the trailer at that time.
Thomas could not confirm Berger's account.
The Coxes slept on the floor and Hodges and a dog slept in an upper berth at the front of the trailer. The gas generator was in the back.
Berger speculated that because gas fumes are heavy and tend to stay low, the Cox family was poisoned. Hodges survived because she was up higher.
Hodges remains hospitalized in Joplin, Mo.
Berger said her sister, Toni Wheeler of CR 100S, rushed to Missouri and is at her daughter's side. Toni Wheeler is married to Joe Wheeler, Pierceton.
Hodges' father is Jim Hodges of Talma.
The children's mother, Tonya Cox, lives in Marcelles, Mich.
Hodges planned to purchase horses at the Royal Oaks Arena during the Mid America Equine Sale, which draws hundreds of people from the U.S. The arena is in the southwest corner of Missouri, in Jasper County.
Thomas said the truck and trailer were parked on the grounds of the arena. The auction was held Saturday and the rig in question was the only one remaining at the site Monday morning.
Toxicology reports and blood samples show the victims' carbon monoxide levels to be extremely high, according to Jasper County Coroner Jerry Neil. [[In-content Ad]]
CARTHAGE, Mo. - A Pierceton man, Jeff Cox, 40, and his two children, Kayla Cox, 17, and Derrick Cox, 14, died of carbon monoxide poisoning over the weekend.
Leslie Hodges, 37, also of Pierceton, survived the incident.
Sgt. Ron Thomas, of the Jasper County Sheriff's Department, confirmed the deaths today.
He said all four were exposed to fumes produced by a portable gas generator which was brought out of the rain into a horse trailer.
According to Hodges' aunt, Linda Berger of Warsaw, the group was staying in a horse trailer with a sleeping berth over the weekend.
Thomas could not establish a timeline of events leading up to the deaths because the investigation is incomplete. But he said it appears Hodges stumbled out of the trailer and attempted to call for help but passed out.
After lying unconscious for an unknown period of time, she awoke and called for help at 6:40 a.m. Monday.
"She was close to hypothermic when we found her," Thomas said.
Berger said the four went to sleep Friday night and moved the generator into the horse-hauling portion of the trailer at that time.
Thomas could not confirm Berger's account.
The Coxes slept on the floor and Hodges and a dog slept in an upper berth at the front of the trailer. The gas generator was in the back.
Berger speculated that because gas fumes are heavy and tend to stay low, the Cox family was poisoned. Hodges survived because she was up higher.
Hodges remains hospitalized in Joplin, Mo.
Berger said her sister, Toni Wheeler of CR 100S, rushed to Missouri and is at her daughter's side. Toni Wheeler is married to Joe Wheeler, Pierceton.
Hodges' father is Jim Hodges of Talma.
The children's mother, Tonya Cox, lives in Marcelles, Mich.
Hodges planned to purchase horses at the Royal Oaks Arena during the Mid America Equine Sale, which draws hundreds of people from the U.S. The arena is in the southwest corner of Missouri, in Jasper County.
Thomas said the truck and trailer were parked on the grounds of the arena. The auction was held Saturday and the rig in question was the only one remaining at the site Monday morning.
Toxicology reports and blood samples show the victims' carbon monoxide levels to be extremely high, according to Jasper County Coroner Jerry Neil. [[In-content Ad]]