-generator was on in sealed house
By Gaulbert Sutherland
Brenda Lewis, her daughter, Abiola Josiah and grandson Orette Garraway Jr. had moved into their new home at Parfait Harmonie on Monday. Early yesterday, they were found dead and police believe that they died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The well-sealed building in the West Bank Demerara community did not have electricity and relatives said that a small generator was used to supply power. It is believed that the trio died on Monday night as decomposition was already setting in when the bodies were discovered yesterday. As they had moved in that very day, they had no time to unpack and filled bags and other pieces of household items were scattered haphazardly around. The generator’s tank was empty and appliances such as the television and a freezer were still plugged into the outlets. It is believed that they fell asleep and left the generator on.
A family friend went to the home at about 7:30 am yesterday. After knocking and getting no response, he grew suspicious and contacted the police. When the police arrived, they broke a window and entered. They were confronted by the sight of Lewis and Josiah on their bed while Garraway was on the floor, about one foot away. “They apparently locked up, secured the house, put on the generator and went to sleep and got suffocated”, a police source told Stabroek News. The source noted that the house was very well sealed and they believe that the trio died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. There were no marks of violence on the bodies and foul play is not suspected, the source added.
Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning occurs when carbon monoxide gas is inhaled. CO is a colourless, odourless, highly poisonous gas that is produced by incomplete combustion. It is found in automobile exhaust fumes, faulty stoves and heating systems, fires, and cigarette smoke. Other sources include wood-burning stoves, kerosene heaters, improperly ventilated water heaters and gas stoves, and blocked or poorly maintained chimney flues. According to the medical dictionary website, CO interferes with the ability of the blood to carry oxygen. The result is headache, nausea, convulsions, and finally death by asphyxiation.
The symptoms of CO poisoning and the speed with which they appear depend on the concentration of CO in the air and the rate and efficiency with which a person breathes. The most common source of carbon monoxide in cases of poisoning is exhaust fumes from an automobile.
Yesterday, residents gathered on the streets surrounding the home and as undertakers removed the bodies, relatives cried. Several colleagues of Josiah, who was 26, turned up at the home. She had worked as an inspector at the Guyana Revenue Authority. Her brother, Kelvin told Stabroek News that a relative informed him of the tragedy and he rushed to the home. He said that the three had moved there on Monday afternoon after living in the neighbouring village of La Grange previously. The building was not fully completed but they decided to make the move.
Seven-year-old Orette Junior lived with his grandmother since he was born, his grief-stricken mother, Patricia told Stabroek News. She said that the lad was the only child of his father. She was at home when she received a call. “Somebody call and seh exactly what happened”, she stated. The woman rushed to the home where her fears were confirmed.
Lewis, 55, was separated from her husband and is survived by three other children. One is in the United States while the others are in the interior. As residents discussed the tragedy, they lamented that had Lewis’ sons been there, the tragedy could have been averted as they would have assisted and known that the generator should have been outside.
The bodies were removed to the West Demerara Regional Hospital mortuary. Post-mortem examinations are expected to be done shortly.