NorCal Motel Shut Down After 2 Women Die In Same Room Days Apart: Police

EUREKA, CA — Two women were found dead in the same motel room within five days at a motel in Eureka, prompting an investigation which revealed high levels of carbon monoxide, police officials said.

The fatalities were reported at a motel in the 4000 block of Broadway Street when Eureka police and Humboldt Bay Firefighters responded to two suspected overdoses, according to the Eureka Police Department.

The first suspected overdose was reported around 2 p.m. on Feb. 21. First responders found two people unconscious in the same room. One person was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other was transported to a hospital in unknown condition, police said.

Another suspected overdose was reported around 12 p.m. on Feb. 26, with two people found unconscious. Again, one person was found dead, the other was transported to a local hospital in critical condition, police said.

Police said the victims were a 37-year-old woman and a 36-year-old woman. They have not been identified.

During the emergency response on Feb. 26, some of the Humboldt Bay Fire personnel displayed signs of minor carbon monoxide exposure, prompting first responders to conduct atmospheric monitoring. The emergency crews detected elevated carbon monoxide levels.

Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can include headache, weakness, dizziness, confusion, shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, blurred vision, sleepiness, and loss of consciousness. Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas.

Fire officials said no carbon monoxide detectors were located in the room where the women were found dead.

People who were occupying the motel at the time of the emergency response were evacuated while the motel was ventilated, police said.

The property owner was contacted at that time, and the city's code enforcement and the chief building official were called to the scene. The chief building official and fire officials determined the motel should not be occupied until the mechanical inspections of each room are completed and additional fire code violations corrected, according to the Eureka Police Department.

The city's building official served the business owner with a first and final notice requiring the motel to be closed, and the violations identified are corrected and inspected, police said.

In July, HBF conducted an annual fire inspection of the motel, and violations were discovered. Upon additional inspection one week later, the violations were corrected, according to the Eureka Police Department.

The incidents remain under investigation. Anyone with information was asked to call Eureka Police Department's criminal unit at 707-441-4300.