Steubenville, OH – An autopsy showed a couple found dead in their home at 1220 Lincoln Ave. on Sunday evening died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning, the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office reported.
The bodies were sent for an autopsy on Tuesday after blood tests came back inconclusive. The autopsy report was received Wednesday afternoon.
James Swearingen Jr. and his wife, Carolyn, both age 61, were discovered by a family member at the couple’s home at 1220 Lincoln Ave. A family member reported not hearing from the couple since Friday.
Police reported the husband was found downstairs and the wife was upstairs.
There were no signs of foul play inside the home, officials said.
The fire department checked the home for carbon monoxide on Sunday but there was a low reading. The furnace was turned off by the fire department at the time. A bird and a dog were alive inside the home.
The fire department, a City Police detective and Columbia Gas representatives went back to the house on Tuesday and turned the furnace on and carbon monoxide was detected. The fire department reported the problem was in the furnace.