Mother, 50, and her daughter, 17, die from carbon monoxide in burger van
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Mother, 50, and daughter, 17, die from carbon monoxide in a burger van while decorating it for her son’s birthday: she recounts her agony at finding the couple dead ‘after turning on the gasoline generator to keep warm’
- Leah Churchill and Brooke Wanstall found dead in a truck this morning
- Firefighters suspect they suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning, their son said
A mother and her daughter were found dead in a burger van this morning after reportedly suffering carbon monoxide poisoning from the generator fumes.
Leah Churchill, 50, and her daughter Brooke Wanstall, 17, had been decorating the Meat ‘N’ Greet snack truck for a birthday celebration for Mrs Churchill’s son, Tyla.
Tyla Wanstall, also Brooke’s brother, said kentonline he found the couple inside the truck after smelling the fumes and said it was “obvious they were both dead”.
Mr Wanstall, who turned 26 today, says he is “heartbroken” by their deaths and the fact that they spent their last moments “trying to put a smile on my face”.
Leah Churchill, 50, and her daughter Brooke Wanstall, 17, (pictured together) were decorating the Meat ‘N’ Greet snack truck for a birthday celebration when they passed away.
Leah Churchill, 50, and Brooke Wanstall, 17, were found in the vehicle on a road in Whitstable, Kent, on Tuesday (Pictured: The couple in the van on a previous occasion)
Tyla didn’t know that Leah and Brooke had gone to the food truck site last night to get ready for her birthday surprise.
“They were decorating the inside of the truck with balloons and bunting as a birthday surprise for me, just like my mother would do at home every year,” he told the newspaper.
The 26-year-old suspects his mother turned on the gasoline generator “unaware of the danger” so they could “stay warm” while decorating.
He explained that they use the generator outside the van during work hours, but keep it inside at night for ‘safety reasons’.
He showed up at the food truck park around 8am today, opened the truck doors and instantly smelled the fumes.
Emergency personnel were called to the scene and reportedly told the couple “probably” suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Their deaths are expected to be reported to the local coroner for further investigation.
MailOnline has approached the police and the coroner for comment.
Brooke’s brother, Tyla Wanstall, (pictured) said he found her relatives inside the truck after smelling the fumes, saying it was “obvious they were both dead.”
Tyla didn’t know that Leah and Brooke had gone to the food truck site last night to get ready for her birthday surprise.
Tyla suspects that Leah (pictured) turned on the gasoline generator ‘unaware of the danger’ so they could ‘stay warm’ while decorating
The deaths of Leah (left) and Brooke (right) are expected to be passed on to the local coroner for further investigation.
Leah was the mother of four children. She leaves behind Tyla, her 23-year-old daughter Ocean, and a 12-year-old son, Sonny.
Tyla, who recently became a father, said her mother was “so kind and would do anything for anyone.”
He described his sister, Brooke, as a “live wire with a great personality.” The teenager had just completed her GCSEs and started working as a carer.
Tyla said Brooke “had her whole life ahead of her” and was scheduled to take her driving test next week.
The family will hold a balloon launch on Herne Bay beach tomorrow at 5:00pm in honor of the mother-daughter duo.