PRINCESS ANNE, Md. (AP) – 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.
Lloyd Edwards said police told them Todd had died. “It was disbelief,” he said. “It’s so hard. How can you understand something like that?”
Lloyd Edwards said Delmarva Power had cut off the electricity to the house because of an outstanding bill.