NH Father, Son Deaths Ruled Murder-Suicide By Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
DERRY, N.H. (CBS) - The deaths of a father and a young son in Derry, New Hampshire have officially been ruled a murder-suicide.
The New Hampshire Attorney General's Office said the pair was found together in a bedroom sealed with duct tape and a blanket. There were two charcoal grills with ashes and burnt charcoal in the room.
A medical examiner determined 39-year-old Matthew Edmunds and 6-year-old Preston Connor Edmunds both died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Derry Police were called to a mobile home community on Kendal Pond Road for a well-being check around 12:30 p.m. on Monday.
After forcing their way into the home, they found a sign hanging from a ceiling fan that they would "find me and my son" in a bedroom and that they should be aware of "dangerous carbon monoxide levels."
Senior Assistant Attorney General Benjamin Agati updated members of the media Tuesday afternoon. He said a "series of documents" was left in the home and Edmunds deleted all of his social media accounts before the murder-suicide.
"When an adult dies it's rough. But when a child dies that never had a chance, it's tragic," one neighbor said.
No motive has been discovered as of Tuesday afternoon.
A man who lives across the street said the family became reclusive in recent weeks.
"I went over and asked if he was OK because I hadn't seen him in quite a while. He said his son Preston had an operation, surgery or something, and that's why he hadn't gone anywhere," the man said.
Investigators said Matthew Edmunds had another son die 10 years ago.
The 6-year-old's death was ruled a drowning at the time. Agati said that boy's death will be looked at as part of the investigation into Matthew and Preston Edmunds' deaths.
"That's something investigators will be going and looking at along with a lot of other aspects of this," he said.
