New Smyrna Beach, FL – An elderly New Smyrna Beach couple found dead in their condo on Sunday possibly died of carbon monoxide poisoning, investigators with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said.
Authorities were called to the Sea Winds condominiums, 4875 S. Atlantic Ave., around 5:43 p.m.
Sheriff’s spokesman Andrew Gant said on Monday that deputies arriving on scene found William Whitehurst, 93, and his wife, Dorothy Whitehurst, 91, in their Unit C condo dead in their bed.
The Whitehurts were identified through their West Virginia drivers’ licenses, investigators said.
There were no signs of trauma on their bodies. The couple appeared to have been lying in bed reading at the time they passed, Gant said.
While the official cause of death will be determined after an autopsy by the medical examiner, all indications at this time point to carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a vehicle left running in the garage. Gant said.
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, poisonous gas that can cause sudden illness and death if present in sufficient concentration in the ambient air, according to the Florida Department of Health.
The most common signs and symptoms include headache, nausea, lethargy (or fatigue), weakness, abdominal discomfort/pain, confusion, and dizziness. Other signs and symptoms may include visual disturbances including blurred vision, numbness and tingling, ataxia, irritability, agitation, chest pain, shortness of breath, palpitations, seizures, and loss of consciousness.