4 Killed In Wakefield, NH Carbon Monoxide Incident ID’d As Family From Newton, Mass.

CONCORD, NH — The New Hampshire Fire Marshal’s Office has identified the four people who died in Wakefield on Christmas Day as a family from Newton, Massachusetts.

The victims were Matthew Goldstein, 52, Lyla Goldstein, 54, Valerie Goldstein, 22, and Violet Goldstein, 19, all of Newton, MA. Fire Marshal Sean Toomey said the chief medical examiner determined Matthew Goldstein’s cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning. The manner of death is still pending. The cause and manner of death of Lyla Goldstein, Valerie Goldstein, and Violet Goldstein also remain pending.

“Efforts to determine the cause of the suspected carbon monoxide leak remain active and ongoing, and investigators are continuing to inspect the home’s gas heating system,” Toomey said Friday. “During the preliminary investigation, it was learned that the victims were expected to attend a holiday event. When they did not show up at the event, family members contacted local authorities and requested a welfare check, ultimately leading to the discovery of the victims.”

Toomey said no working carbon monoxide alarms were found in the home.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can cause serious illness and death at high levels. The Fire Marshal’s Office, National Fire Protection Association, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission offer the following tips for making sure the carbon monoxide alarms in homes are maintained and working correctly:

• Install and maintain carbon monoxide alarms in a central location outside each separate sleeping area, on every level of the home, and in other locations, as required by laws, codes, or standards.
• If you have combination smoke/carbon monoxide alarms, follow the directions for smoke alarm installation.
• Test carbon monoxide alarms once a month and replace them if they fail to respond correctly when tested.
• Replace the carbon monoxide alarm according to the manufacturer’s instructions or when the end-of-life signal sounds.
• Know the difference between the sound of the carbon monoxide alarm and the smoke alarm and each alarm’s low-battery signals. If the audible low-battery signal sounds, replace the batteries or device.
• Carbon monoxide alarms are not substitutes for smoke alarms, and vice versa. Know the difference.

Additional information regarding the risks and symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning is available on the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office website, linked here.

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