Vernonia, OR – Camping season is upon us and one Oregon woman is helping raise awareness about a silent killer that left her partner dead in his RV.
Elana Brasure says her partner Daryl was the family’s rock.
We met in the 6th grade, Brasure told KOIN 6 News. I paid 25 cents to kiss him and we wound up being true love, soulmates. He raised all 4 of my children as his own.
He was also a big part of his step-grandkids’ lives. He used to take them camping in the same RV he used for a weekend of 4-wheeling with friends at Nicolai Mountain.
He just never came home, Brasure said.
Daryl said goodnight to his friends and climbed into the camper on a cold February night during the trip. He cranked on the furnace and went to sleep.
His best friend found him the next morning.
We’d been in that motor home a zillion times, Brasure said.
The family didn’t know the tasteless, odorless gas carbon monoxide killed Daryl until receiving the medical examiner’s report. Brasure says she wasn’t aware of carbon monoxide’s fatal risks and that a detector might have saved her partner’s life.
Daryl’s friend started a program offering free carbon monoxide detectors and inspections in Vernonia after his death. Brasure says she hopes Daryl’s story sends a strong message to help save another family from experiencing a similar loss.
If this story can save one family from having to go through what we’ve been through, then that’s great to me, she said. It’s huge.
Brasure says Daryl was an important figure to everyone in his family.
He was a hard worker, she said. He was a great provider and my best friend.