Maryland carbon monoxide poisoning
Princess Anne police discovered Rodney Todd, 36, and his kids, ranging in age from 6 to 13, at about 1 p.m. after a coworker reported him missing, Todd's relatives said.
The power company shut Todd's electricity off because of an outstanding bill, and the father used a generator, which ran out of gasoline, Todd's stepfather, Lloyd Edwards, said. Todd likely did not know how to ventilate the house, he said.
"To keep his seven children warm, he bought a generator, and the carbon monoxide consumed them," Edwards said.
Edwards told the Daily News he was not sure when the power was first cut off.Maryland law prohibits utilities from terminating electric service from Nov. 1 through March 31 because of unpaid bills without first filing an affidavit to the Public Service Commission.
Investigators confirmed the power was shut off and said they were working to determine when Todd was forced to use the generator, which was found with no gasoline in the kitchen.
Delmarva Power spokesman Matt Likovich declined to say whether the company shut off Todd's power but said it was investigating.
In the past, Todd had applied with the Somerset County Office of Home Energy Programs for help paying for utilities, director Tom VanLandingam said."We're all kind of baffled as to why he did not apply this year," VanLandingham said. "That's the million-dollar question."
Money was often tight for Todd, a kitchen worker at the nearby University of Maryland Eastern Shore, his family said.
Edwards told the Daily News that he and Todd's mother, Bonnie Edwards, helped Todd out whenever he needed something.
"He was a strong father," Lloyd Edwards told the Daily News. "He was able to take care of seven children. He had difficulty, but not much."Still, Todd struggled to buy birthday gifts for his children, Bonnie Edwards said. But he always made sure to get them birthday cakes.
“I don’t know anyone his age who would have done what he did” for his children, Bonnie Edwards said, noting Todd had sole custody after a divorce.
She ID'd her grandchildren 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.
Investigators don’t suspect foul play because the family was found "in sleeping positions” and nothing was out of place when detectives forced their way inside, Police Chief Scott Keller told the Washington Post,Todd's supervisor, Stephanie Wells, said she filed a missing person report with police because she hadn't seen Todd since March 28. She knocked on his door Monday morning and no one answered, she said.
"He was a good person," Wells said. "He always did what he was told."
People gathered near the home as the crushing news began to spread through the small town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
“Our community, our county needs your prayers,” Somerset County schools superintendent John Gaddis posted on Twitter.
Bonnie Edwards said her son "set a good example" for his children and instilled in them the values of getting an education and being respectful.
"I feel empty," she said. "I'm used to coming up here and seeing my grandkids running up and down the steps."