Son’s agony at deaths of sister, 17, and mother, 50, ‘from carbon monoxide poisoning’ in burger van

A grieving son has shared his heartbreak after finding his mother and sister dead in their burger van yesterday morning, which they had been decorating as a surprise birthday gift.

Tyla Wanstall said she arrived at her Meat ‘N’ Greet Snack Wagon in Whitstable, Kent, to discover her mother Leah Churchill, 50, and her “beautiful little sister” Brooke, 17, lying lifeless on the ground.

They are believed to have been poisoned by carbon monoxide fumes from the generator, which is used outside during working hours but kept inside overnight for safety reasons, while decorating the van as a surprise for Wanstall’s 26th birthday. .

Wanstall, from Faversham, Kent, said he arrived at the carriage around 8am to start work and was surprised to see his mother’s car parked outside.

“It’s heartbreaking to think that they spent their last moments trying to put a smile on my face,” she said.

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)

“They were decorating the inside of the truck with balloons and bunting as a birthday surprise for me, just like my mom would do at home every year.

She didn’t even know they were going there last night, but she must have started the gasoline generator to keep warm without realizing the danger.

Wanstall says the family has been shocked by the tragedy and still trying to come to terms with what happened.

They are planning a balloon launch in her memory on the beach at Herne Bay.

Mr Wanstall added: “I opened the door of the van and saw my mother and sister and for a moment I thought they had fallen asleep,” he recalled.

“I smelled fumes, but it didn’t register immediately, but it became apparent that they were both dead.

I called the police and the ambulance, but it was the fire department who told me it was probably carbon monoxide poisoning.

“It’s heartbreaking to think that they spent their last moments trying to put a smile on my face.”

Churchill, a mother of four children, lived in Canterbury, Kent.

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 her mother (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.

Mr Wanstall, who has just had a baby with his partner Beth, said of his mother: “She was very kind and would do anything for anyone.”

‘She would take a homeless man off the streets if she was allowed to. Brooke was just a live wire with a great personality.

‘Mum worked all over the place, mostly in catering, and used to run the Share and Coulter pub in Greenhill.

He helped me out in the burger van a couple of days a week.

He said his sister Brooke had just left the Archbishop’s School in Canterbury after completing her GCSEs, adding: “She had her whole life ahead of her.”

She did very well in her grades and had just started working as a caregiver, which she really enjoyed. She was also due to take her driving test next week.’

Another sister, Ocean, 23, added: ‘[Brooke] She tried working on the van a few times, but that was definitely not for her.

‘Working as a caregiver was the spring in her step and the only thing she wanted to do.’

Wanstall also issued a warning about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning.

He said: ‘Mum made a fatal mistake and we don’t want this to happen to anyone else.

‘Be careful with this, people. If you don’t have a carbon monoxide alarm, go get one. He is a serious killer.

I don’t know how we’re going to get through this.

Kent Police have been contacted for comment.