CLOSE Skip in Skip x Embed x Share Chief Scott Keller addresses an investigation of seven children and one adult found dead Monday, April 6 in Princess Anne. Also, a coworker with the adult victim explains the events leading up to the police report. Produced by Joe Lamberti 
 
 Rodney Todd and seven children were identified by Todd's parents at the scene. 
 
 Buy Photo Onlookers react as bodies are removed from an Antioch Avenue residence where police say seven children and their father were found dead Monday afternoon in Princess Anne. (Photo: Staff photo by Joe Lamberti)Buy Photo 
 
 UPDATE: Family identifies victims in Princess Anne deaths 
 
 Eight people — including seven juveniles — were found dead Monday afternoon due to suspected carbon monoxide poisoning at a home on Antioch Avenue, emergency officials said. 
 
 Princess Anne Police Chief Scott Keller said seven of the eight victims were children, ranging in age from 6 to 15 years old. 
 
 The children's mother, Tyisha Chambers,36, was notified of the deaths. 
 
 Bonnie and Lloyd Edwards, encountered outside the home by a reporter from The Associated Press, identified themselves as the mother and stepfather of Rodney Todd, 36, whom they identified as the adult who died. They said Todd had seven children, including five girls and two boys. The Edwardses said police told them the family died of carbon monoxide poisoning. 
 
 Bonnie Edwards identified the children as boys Cameron Todd, 13, and Zycheim Todd, 7; and girls Tynijuiza Todd, 15; Tykira Todd, 12; Tybree Todd, 10; Tyania Todd, 9; and Tybria Todd, 6. 
 
 It'll have a "tragic impact" on the neighborhood, Keller said. 
 
 Stephanie Wells, who works with the adult victim –– his name was not confirmed by police –– said she last saw him on March 28. 
 
 March 28 was the last day anyone had spoken to any of the victims, Keller said. 
 
 Wells, food service supervisor at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, was the adult victim's supervisor. He worked in dining services doing whatever was needed, from taking out the trash to cooking on the grill. He had worked there since August 2014. 
 
 He was also a nice and helpful person who would always talk about his kids, she said. 
 
 "He was my big teddy bear," she said. 
 
 He didn't come into work on Saturday and he would generally call if that were the case, so she became concerned. And although she later filed a report with the police, she wasn't expecting the result to be what happened. 
 
 Onlookers gathered and consoled each other on Antioch Avenue and Beckford Avenue as police began removing the eight bodies from the home Monday afternoon. 
 
 As many people drove through the small Lower Shore town, down the narrow side streets that make up the surrounding neighborhoods, they stopped at stop signs to talk to others who had just learned the details themselves. 
 
 Emergency officials said crisis counselors will be in Somerset County Public Schools this week to help with grieving students. 
 
 The adult male victim, whose age was not released, was the father of the deceased juveniles, Keller said. 
 
 Keller said the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore will make the determination on the cause of death. There were no signs of foul play in the incident, he said. 
 
 The Princess Anne Police Department has confirmed that there was a generator located in the home, and there was no gas in the tank. 
 
 Buy Photo (Photo: Staff photo by Joe Lamberti) 
 
 Police were sent to the home in the 30000 block of Antioch Avenue on Monday to check on the father after a coworker reported he had not shown up to work without calling his employer. 
 
 After gaining access into the home at about 1 p.m. Monday, Keller said police found a gas generator in the kitchen that had run out of fuel. Keller added the home's electricity was not in service, but could not speak to how long the home had been without power. 
 
 When police entered the home, they could tell something was wrong. 
 
 "They knew right away that there weren't any live people in there," Keller said. 
 
 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, unintentional exposure to carbon monoxide caused an average of 430 deaths a year nationwide between 1999 and 2010. Maryland averaged 1.43 deaths per 1 million people from the gas from 1999 to 2004, while the national rate was 1.53 deaths. 
 
 A 2006 gas leak at an Ocean City hotel took the lives of a father and a daughter. Carbon monoxide poisoning was to blame. Ocean City Town Council amended its 2007 law that mandates carbon monoxide detectors in hotels and condo buildings, removing an exemption that allowed some units not to have them. 
 
 — Daily Times Staff Writer Jeremy Cox contributed to this report. 
 
 Buy Photo (Photo: Staff photo by Joe Lamberti) 
 
 WHAT IS CARBON MONOXIDE? 
 
 Carbon monoxide is an odorless gas that causes thousands of deaths each year in North America. Breathing in carbon monoxide is very dangerous. It is the leading cause of poisoning death in the United States. 
 
 Carbon monoxide is a chemical produced from the incomplete burning of natural gas or other products containing carbon. 
 
 The following items may produce carbon monoxide: 
 
 • Anything that burns coal, gasoline, kerosene, oil, propane, or wood 
 
 • Automobile engines 
 
 • Charcoal grills (charcoal should never be burned indoors) 
 
 • Indoor and portable heating systems 
 
 • Portable propane heaters 
 
 • Stoves (indoor and camp stoves) 
 
 • Water heaters that use natural gas 
 
 Buy Photo (Photo: Staff photo by Joe Lamberti) 
 
 Symptoms 
 
 When you breathe in carbon monoxide, the poison replaces the oxygen in your bloodstream. Your heart, brain and body will become starved of oxygen. 
 
 Symptoms vary from person to person. Those at high risk include young children, the elderly, persons with lung or heart disease, people at high altitudes and smokers. Carbon monoxide can harm a fetus. 
 
 Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning may include: Breathing problems, including no breathing, shortness of breath, confusion, chest pains and fainting. 
 
 Prevention 
 
 Install a carbon monoxide detector on each floor of your home. Place an additional detector near any major gas-burning appliances (such as a furnace or water heater). 
 
 Many carbon monoxide poisonings occur in the winter months when furnaces, gas fireplaces and portable heaters are being used and windows are closed. Make sure you have any heaters and gas-burning appliances regularly inspected to make sure they are safe to use. 
 
 Source: University of Maryland Medical Center 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2015/04/06/princess-anne-carbon-monoxide-deaths/25374669/ 

 WARTBURG (WATE) – Three family members died from carbon monoxide poisoning late Saturday night. 
 
 Anthony Carroll, 44, his 17-year-old son Jacob Carroll and their 8-year-old relative Jamon Carroll died from carbon monoxide poisoning in a home on 103 Susak Lane. 
 
 “He was one of the most likeable people you’ll ever be around,” said neighbor Jeremy Shannon, about his friend Anthony. “Their 17-year-old liked to start his dirt bike every day in the neighborhood. The 8-year-old [was] pretty playful. He would come over and play with my boys a lot.” 
 
 Anthony Carroll (family photo) Jamon Carroll (family photo) Jacob Carroll (family photo) 
 
 According to the incident report, when Deputy Aaron Hutchinson entered the home, his eyes started burning and he smelled a strong odor. 
 
 Officials say the family had a gas generator inside their home. The sheriff believes it was an accident, but they are still trying to figure out why the generator was inside the house. 
 
 “The power had been turned off in the house and they were using a gas generator. Neighbors said it had been on the porch for a while. There was a lot of rain on Friday. They possibly moved it in to keep it dry. Not sure why it was moved inside, but it was moved inside the building and running,” explained Sheriff Glen Freytag. 
 
 “Here, the last three or four nights it’s been really cold,” Shannon said. 
 
 Dyllon Caroll (family photo) Penny Carroll (family photo) 
 
 Dyllon Carroll, 19, was transported to the University of Tennessee Medical Center and is in the intensive care unit. 
 
 The mother, Penny Carroll, is also in the hospital. There is no word on her condition. 
 
 “It makes you value your family more than you can imagine,” Shannon said. 
 
 A few deputies were also treated for carbon monoxide poisoning. No injuries reported. 
 
 Family of the victims told WATE 6 On Your Side they have set up a bank account to pay for funeral costs. The account is under the Carroll Family at Citizens First Bank in Wartburg. 
 
 Deputies say the case is being investigated as an accident. 
 
 Slideshow: What is Carbon Monoxide? 

 PRINCESS ANNE, Md. (AP) — A man and his seven children found dead in their Maryland home Monday were poisoned by carbon monoxide from a generator they were using after the power company cut off their electricity, a couple who identified themselves as the man's mother and stepfather said. 
 
 Sheets are held as a body is removed from a residence where police say seven children and one adult have been found dead Monday, April 6, 2015, in Princess Anne, Md. Officers were sent to the home Monday... (Associated Press) 
 
 Onlookers gather outside of a house, where police say seven children and one adult have been found dead Monday, April 6, 2015, in Princess Anne, Md. Police were sent to the home Monday after being contacted... (Associated Press) 
 
 Onlookers gather outside of a house, where police say seven children and one adult have been found dead Monday, April 6, 2015, in Princess Anne, Md. Officers were sent to the home Monday after being contacted... (Associated Press) 
 
 Onlookers gather outside of a house, where police say seven children and one adult have been found dead Monday, April 6, 2015, in Princess Anne, Md. Police were sent to the home Monday after being contacted... (Associated Press) 
 
 A woman looks away as bodies are removed from a house, where police say seven children and one adult have been found dead Monday, April 6, 2015, in Princess Anne, Md. Police were sent to the home Monday... (Associated Press) 
 
 Police Chief Scott Keller speaks about a home where police say seven children and one adult have been found dead Monday, April 6, 2015, in Princess Anne, Md. Police were sent to the home Monday after... (Associated Press) 
 
 Lloyd Edwards, left, and Bonnie Edwards, the stepfather and mother of Rodney Todd stand outside the home where Todd and his seven children found dead Monday, April 6, 2015, in Princess Anne, Md. Police... (Associated Press) 
 
 Police found the bodies at the home in Princess Anne after being contacted by a concerned co-worker of the father, who had not been seen for days, Princess Anne police said in a news release. 
 
 They identified the deceased only as an adult and seven young people ages 6 to the teens. They said the cause of the deaths was still under investigation. 
 
 Bonnie and Lloyd Edwards, encountered outside the home by a reporter from The Associated Press, identified themselves as the mother and stepfather of Rodney Todd, 36, whom they identified as the adult who died. They said Todd had seven children, including five girls and two boys. The Edwardses said police told them the family died of carbon monoxide poisoning. 
 
 Bonnie Edwards identified the children as boys Cameron Todd, 13, and Zycheim Todd, 7; and girls Tynijuiza Todd, 15; Tykira Todd, 12; Tybree Todd, 10; Tyania Todd, 9; and Tybria Todd, 6. 
 
 Lloyd Edwards said when police told them Todd had died, "It was disbelief." 
 
 "It's so hard. How can you understand something like that?" 
 
 He said Delmarva Power had cut off the electricity to the house because of an outstanding bill. 
 
 "To keep his seven children warm, (Todd) bought a generator," Lloyd Edwards said. "It went out and the carbon monoxide consumed them." 
 
 Princess Anne Police Chief Scott Keller told the AP there was a generator in the kitchen that was out of gasoline. 
 
 Matt Likovich, a spokesman for Delmarva Power, would not say Monday night whether the power had been cut off. He said the matter was being investigated. 
 
 Bonnie Edwards described her son as a loving, caring young man who set an example for his children. "I don't know anyone his age who would have done what he did" for his children, she said. "I was so proud to say he took care of seven kids." 
 
 Todd was a utility worker at the nearby University of Maryland Eastern Shore, said his supervisor Stephanie Wells. Wells, who hadn't seen Todd since March 28, said she went to the house Monday morning and knocked on the door, but no one answered. She then filed a missing-person report with police. 
 
 Princess Anne is located on Maryland's Eastern Shore. 

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 April 6, 2015, 9:23 PM GMT / Updated April 7, 2015, 11:47 PM GMT / Source: NBC News By Alex Johnson 
 
 A father and his seven children found dead inside a Maryland home were poisoned by carbon monoxide from a generator they were using because they could not keep up with their electricity bills, relatives and a friend said. 
 
 Rodney Todd Sr., 36, and his seven kids, ages 6 to 16, were found by officers in the southern Maryland peninsula town of Princess Anne on Monday, police said. 
 
 Todd's mother and stepfather, Bonnie and Lloyd Edwards, told The Associated Press that a utility firm had cut off his electricity because of an outstanding bill. 
 
 "To keep his seven children warm, [Todd] bought a generator," Lloyd Edwards told the AP. "It went out, and the carbon monoxide consumed them." 
 
 The couple added that police had informed them the family was killed by carbon monoxide poisoning. Officials told NBC News the official cause of death was pending a medical examiner's report Tuesday. 
 
 Family friend Stephanie Wells also told NBC News that the family’s power had been shut off because of an unpaid bill. "I just feel that the system failed him," Wells said. "They didn't reach out to help him with his utility bills." 
 
 Delmarva Power, a utility firm covering Maryland and Delaware, told NBC News it was investigating the incident. 
 
 Princess Anne Police Chief Scott Keller confirmed officers found a generator inside the home that had run out of fuel. 
 
 Todd's mother said her son was a hard-working and devoted father to his children, of whom he'd had custody for about three years. 
 
 "My son was a good son," said Bonnie Edwards, who was also the children's grandmother. "Not only was he my son — that was my friend. I could call and talk to my son about anything." 
 
 "You couldn't ask for a better father. You couldn't ask for a better man," she added. 
 
 NBC News' Alexander Smith and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
– A father and his seven children were found dead inside their Maryland home yesterday, likely poisoned by carbon monoxide from a generator running after the home's electricity was turned off, relatives say. The man's supervisor in food service at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore visited the Princess Anne home after he didn't turn up for work Saturday, but no one answered the door, the Daily Times reports. She filed a missing person report and police discovered the bodies of Rodney Todd, 36, and five girls and two boys, aged 6 to 16, alongside a generator that was out of gas. There was no power to the home due to an unpaid bill, relatives say. "To keep his seven children warm, [Todd] bought a generator," his stepfather tells the AP. "It went out and the carbon monoxide consumed them." The official cause of death hasn't been determined, but no foul play is suspected. Princess Anne's police chief says officers "knew they weren't going to find any live people" in the home when they entered it. "It was disbelief," Todd's stepfather says. "It's so hard. How can you understand something like that?" Todd's mother adds, "I don't know anyone his age who would have done what he did" for his kids. "You couldn't ask for a better father. You couldn't ask for a better man." Todd was last seen March 28. A family friend tells NBC News "the system failed him. ...They didn't reach out to help him with his utility bills." The children's mother has been notified. Meanwhile in Tennessee, police say three people died of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning from a gas generator on Saturday, WATE reports. A fourth person is in intensive care.