Sisters, OR – A Sisters man died of carbon monoxide poisoning while sleeping in his car over the weekend.
According to Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office reports, a citizen called on Saturday, December 17, at 3:30 p.m. to request a welfare check on a homeless person, who was living in a white station wagon on Rail Way near Arrowleaf Trail near McDonald’s.
A deputy responded to the location and found a man dead inside the vehicle. Personnel from the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District also responded to the scene. The Deschutes County Medical Examiner’s Office and detectives from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Detective Division responded to conduct a death investigation.
According to police, the investigation concluded Edward Carlton Fones, 39, went to sleep inside the vehicle with the motor running. The exterior of the vehicle was surrounded by snow, which caused the exhaust fumes to fill the car from the underside. The investigation determined Fones succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Fones was last seen on Thursday night and had been working at a Sisters business for several months. A citizen who works in the area called and requested the welfare check. There was no evidence of foul play. Fones’ next of kin has been notified.
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office reminds the public that sleeping in a vehicle can be very dangerous. If citizens find themselves needing to sleep in their vehicle with the engine running, open a downwind window slightly for ventilation and periodically clear snow from the exhaust pipe. This will protect you from possible carbon monoxide poisoning.