Moorhead police: Poison gas that killed 7 came from furnace

A furnace was the source of carbon monoxide that killed seven members of an immigrant family from Honduras living in Moorhead, authorities said Monday.

Members of the family were found dead last month at a residence along 13th Street South after police were called for a welfare check.

Police in Moorhead said earlier that blood samples from the victims showed a lethal level of carbon monoxide, but further testing was needed to determine whether the source was the furnace or a van parked in an attached garage.

Moorhead police said new findings from the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office showed that the blood samples did not show the presence of blood cyanide, meaning the poison gas could not have come from a combustion engine.

Investigators found that a carbon monoxide detector in the garage had been removed and replaced with a smoke-only detector. An initial investigation by technicians did not reveal a defect in the furnace that would have sent carbon monoxide into the home.

The family members who died were identified as Belin Hernandez, 37; Marleny Pinto, 34; Eldor Hernandez Castillo, 32; Mariela Guzman Pinto, 19; Breylin Hernandez, 16; Mike Hernandez, 7, and Marbely Hernandez, 5. They all lived together, police said.

Moorhead police said it has concluded its investigation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.