Rochester Hills Couple Likely Died From Carbon Monoxide: Officials

ROCHESTER HILLS, MI — An elderly couple was found dead Friday afternoon in their Rochester Hills home, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office said.

Paul Louis Kamulski, 75, and his wife, Frances Kamulski, 74, were found unconscious and not breathing just before 3 p.m. inside a home on 1100 block of Avon Rd.

Police believe they suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning after Rochester Hills Fire officials found the carbon monoxide level in the home was 185 parts per million (ppm), more than twice the lethal reading of 85 ppm, officials said.

Officials did find a carbon monoxide detector on a table in the basement near a staircase, but the batteries were removed and found nearby.

Police did not immediately know if the carbon monoxide detector was in working condition, officials said.

"This is a horrific preventable tragedy to lose two people," Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. "They
actually had a carbon monoxide detector in the home, but for some reason it was not in place
and the batteries were out of it. We always encourage people to check their smoke detectors
and their carbon monoxide detectors each time we change the clocks for daylight savings."

Neighbors found the couple lying in their bed a tried CPR and called 911 after the Kamulski's daughter, who doesn't live at the home, asked them to check on her parents after she couldn't reach them by phone, officials said.

One of the neighbors who entered the home told police she began to feel lightheaded, and was told to open as many windows as she could because of possible carbon monoxide poisoning, officials said.

A technician from Consumers Energy ran a test on the furnace and determined it was the likely
source of carbon monoxide in the home, officials said.