A man and his seven children found dead in their Maryland home Monday were poisoned by carbon monoxide from a generator they were using after the power company cut off their electricity, a couple who identified themselves as the man’s mother and stepfather said. Police found the bodies at the home in Princess Anne after being contacted by a concerned co-worker of the father, who had not been seen for days, Princess Anne police said in a news release. They identified the deceased only as an adult and seven young people ages 6 to the teens. They said the cause of the deaths was still under investigation.
Bonnie and Lloyd Edwards, encountered outside the home by a reporter from The Associated Press, identified themselves as the mother and stepfather of Rodney Todd, 36, whom they identified as the adult who died. They said Todd had seven children, including five girls and two boys. The Edwardses said police told them the family died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Todd was a utility worker at the nearby University of Maryland Eastern Shore, said his supervisor, Stephanie Wells. Wells, who hadn’t seen Todd since March 28, said she went to the house Monday morning and knocked on the door, but no one answered. She then filed a missing-person report with police.
CBS Salisbury, Maryland affiliate WBOC-TV reports UMES President Dr. Juliette Bell issued a statement Monday night saying, “The UMES community extends its sincerest sympathies to the family of Rodney Todd, a Thompson Hospitality employee who lost his life in what authorities believe was a household accident here in Princess Anne.” Read More at Local News 21
