Carbon monoxide kills two in Janesville
Photo 
HARMONY TOWNSHIP — The couple who died Tuesday of carbon monoxide poisoning owned a carbon monoxide detector, but it wasn't plugged in, a Rock Count official said.
Perry D. Carson, 82, and Jeanne E. Carson, 80, were found dead around 7:40 p.m. Tuesday in separate bedrooms in their home at 4421 N. Polaris Parkway in Harmony Township.
The two were husband and wife.
They appeared to have been sleeping with the car running in the closed, attached garage, said Capt. Todd Christiansen, who leads the Rock County Sheriff's Office detective division.
"Everything was shut up," Christiansen said. "The house was secured."
Detectives have found no indication of foul play or of a crime, Christiansen said. Nor did detectives see indication of suicide, Christiansen said.
"We are considering this an accident," he said.
The home smelled like vehicle fumes when emergency responders arrived, but the carbon monoxide levels were no longer lethal, he said.
The car was not running when authorities arrived, although the key was still in the "on" position and the car still had gas in the tank, Christiansen said.
Mechanics speculate the car had run out of oxygen, he said.
"Because it was a smaller garage and pretty tight, the car wasn't able to keep running," Christiansen said.
The couple could have been dead for a day or two before they were found by a family member, he said.
Detectives noticed a couple days' worth of mail in the mailbox.
The couple's yellow Lab also was found dead, Christiansen said.
Detectives do not know why the Carsons' carbon monoxide detector was unplugged. He urged residents to use a detector if they have one.
"If you have a carbon monoxide detector, by all means, use it," he said.
An autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday. The incident still is under investigation.
Jul 11, 2009 at 8:41 a.m.
Suggest removal
Regardless of what happened, this is very sad for all their family and neighbors. My condolences to them.
Jul 11, 2009 at 1:02 a.m.
Suggest removal
What, exactly, are you referring to, Monica? The deceased have clean records on ccap.
Jul 11, 2009 at 12:21 a.m.
Suggest removal
Has anyone looked on ccap? Interesting reading...
Jul 10, 2009 at 11:25 p.m.
Suggest removal
Unfortunately dimentia did apparently play a role in this accident. It is believed the couple left the vehicle running by mistake, as they are both elderly, and increasingly forgetful.
This was a tragic accident, but the Police MUST investigate every death to ensure there is no other conclusion. I'm sure once the investigation is complete, the remaining details will be published.
Jul 10, 2009 at 3:21 p.m.
Suggest removal
no such word as noone.
Jul 10, 2009 at 12:20 p.m.
Suggest removal
Besides , who noone is talking bad about anyones parents .
Jul 10, 2009 at 12:19 p.m.
Suggest removal
But judging from your past posting (Synergy08) you dont have any problem adding your 2 cents worth in on other subjects that you feel fit to comment on .It would seem very clear that you have nothing better to do also ,since your posting . so who`s the clown .
Jul 10, 2009 at 12:10 p.m.
Suggest removal
Instead of speculating what happened, why not leave it alone and let the family grieve. I know that I wouldnt want to see a bunch clowns talking bad about my parents on a paper's blog site. But if that is all that you have to do with your life than so be it.
Jul 10, 2009 at 11:46 a.m.
Jul 10, 2009 at 11:41 a.m.
Suggest removal
How tragic.. My sympathies to the family.. :(
Jul 10, 2009 at 11:34 a.m.
Suggest removal
bobwood, the last line of the story is "the incident still is under investigation". The mystery is ongoing.. feel better?
Jul 10, 2009 at 11:24 a.m.
Suggest removal
Im glad your sure the police know what their doing , but that does not change the facts . O2 detector was working but not pluged in , car running gargage door closed , couple sleeping (why were they sleeping while the car was running , why was car running at all). I have a family member that suffers from Alzheimer's Disease , and I could see this happening to him because of his day to day struggles with memory issues . I didnt see this mentioned in the storie , or much of anything pertaining to the couples health and if it played any part in their deaths . Any details that were not mentioned in the police report that the gazzette used , just adds to the mystery . Dont be to sure the police have this rapped up yet , because their insurance company will be all over this one .
Jul 10, 2009 at 11:02 a.m.
Suggest removal
why would you turn the car on and then go to bed? THis is aweful.
Jul 10, 2009 at 10 a.m.
Suggest removal
bobwood, I'm sure the police have a lot more information that what is in this story. Who knows, maybe a relative informed the police that the couple routinely started their car and turned the A/C (or heater) on before leaving home? That's certainly evidence that may lead to a ruling of accidental I would think.
Jul 10, 2009 at 9:54 a.m.
Suggest removal
I have to ask , is this the final conclusion .Im wondering if the police are giving a pass on this one , or if there really is more to it . "We are considering this an accident," Really its that simple ?
Jul 10, 2009 at 9:37 a.m.
Suggest removal
A sad reminder that a detector is no help unless it is working. Make sure your CO detector has power or batteries, and your smoke detector as well. You should use the time changes in spring and fall as a regular schedule to check that these are in order.
Jul 10, 2009 at 12:17 a.m.
Suggest removal
This is very, very tragic. Again, my condolences to the couple's family and friends. I am so sorry for your loss.
Jul 9, 2009 at 4:31 p.m.
Suggest removal
So very very sad, my heart goes out to the family.
Before you post a comment, consider this:
Note: GazetteXtra.com does not condone or review every comment. Read more in our User Policy AgreementPost Comment
Commenting requires registration.