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, aged 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.”
Read the rest of the story from our partners at NBC News
More Must-Read Stories From TIME
- Extreme Heat Makes It Hard for Kids to Be Active. But Exercise Is Crucial In a Warming World
- Pelosi's Visit to Taiwan Has Badly Damaged U.S.-China Relations, But Not Irreversibly
- Reality TV Has Reshaped Our World, Whether We Like It or Not
- Progress Is Not A Given. It is Won: The Connection Between James Baldwin and Toni Morrison
- The Inflation Reduction Act's Name Says A Lot About The Climate Fight
- How Reservation Dogs Became More than Just Must-See Television in Its Second Season
- The U.S Will Soon Have Space Force Ambassadors Around the World
Read More From TIME
