Immigrant Family Of 7 Discovered Dead In Their Beds Of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

An immigrant family of seven was found dead in their beds in Minnesota on Saturday, Dec. 18, in what many investigators are speculating may be a case of carbon monoxide poisoning, with an ongoing investigation to confirm their cause of death.

Among those killed in the Moorland, Minnesota home were 37-year-old Belin Hernandez, 34-year-old Marleny Pinto, 32-year-old Eldor Hernandez Castillo, their 19-year-old niece Mariela Guzman Pinto, 16-year-old Breylin Hernandez, 7-year-old Mike Hernandez, and 5-year-old Marbely Hernandez, according to the Star Tribune.

“Most were in their beds and appeared to be sleeping,” Police Chief Shannon Monroe said regarding the case.

Police officers originally went to their duplex for a welfare check after a friend of the family had reportedly not seeing them since Thursday of that week. Eric Bravo Mejia, a pastor friend of the family, was called over quickly when the bodies were found by the police, The Daily Beast reported.

“They were there dead. And I went to another room and there was the niece dead. And the uncle. Also dead. All dead. It was an impact that at this moment I can’t even understand. It’s something you can’t even explain, the impact it has in seeing them all there,” Mejia said.

Investigators have ruled out possible targeted criminal activity on the family due to the lack of trauma, and believe that the source of the deaths by carbon monoxide poisoning may have come from their furnace or their Kia van in their garage, though confirmation of the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning may take up to eight weeks.

Residents of the property in the area, which is owned by JEM Property Development, are being asked to check their carbon monoxide detectors after it was found that the Hernandez family’s detector didn’t have any batteries on.

The owner of the property, Jason Ennen, has yet to comment on the case.