4 die on Christmas Day in New Hampshire home from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning

WAKEFIELD, N.H. — Four people died at a New Hampshire home on Christmas Day due to suspected carbon monoxide poisoning, authorities said.

Police were called to the home in the town of Wakefield for a welfare check around 4:20 p.m., New Hampshire State Fire Marshal Sean Toomey said. He said when officers arrived, they found the bodies of four adults.

“While the investigation is active and ongoing, investigators currently believe the victims died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning,” Toomey and other officials said in a news release.

Toomey said it was a reminder of the importance of having working carbon monoxide detectors in your home.

Toomey told television station WMUR that the deceased included two older adults and two younger adults, and that other family members had called police to check on them after they failed to show up as expected at a Christmas Day gathering.

Officials believe the deaths were accidental and are investigating a gas heating system after discovering the home had no carbon monoxide detectors, WMUR reported.

Authorities have not released the names of the deceased pending notification of their next of kin. Autopsies to confirm the cause of death were scheduled for Thursday.

Temperatures in Wakefield reached a low of about 13 degrees Fahrenheit (-11 degrees Celsius) on Christmas Day.