Mason City police confirm two area residents have died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Mason City police say they received a phone call from a relative Saturday afternoon asking for a welfare check on 67-year-old Thomas Jimenez and his 80-year-old wife Carmen after they had not been heard from since Thursday.
When officers arrived at their home at 322 4th Northwest, they found the doors locked and had to force their way into the home. Both of the home’s occupants were found dead, Carmen in her bed, Thomas in a bathroom. Police say the level of carbon monoxide was so high in the house that an officer was overcome and had to be taken to Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa, where he was treated and released.
Fire Chief Bob Platts says the circumstances are still under investigation and a full report is expected on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Bob Fisher, KRIB, Mason City)