Sleepover turns tragic: Relatives mourn 11-year-old girls killed by carbon monoxide

[Penelope]

As I look back at this story after a number of months, I find it puzzling. Both my late husband and I had vehicles with remote starters. For both, you clicked a button twice on a keychain control to start the car -- both automatically shut off after 10 minutes. I live in Canada, and people use remote starters to warm up their cars in the extreme cold (get heat running, etc.) before they get into the car. One would never use it in a garage -- very dangerous. I had heard rumors that remote starters can cause fires in engines but have never heard that they accidently could turn a car on. This could be a one in 20 million occurance, but it seems a bit suspicious to me. This all could have been prevented by having a Carbon monoxide monitor in the home -- as the alarm would have gone off and woken a family member up. This type of monitor is a must if your garage is connected to your home.

But, again, this story doesn't sit right with me.

 

[aprilshowers]

My brother is an engineer for a pipeline company and has one of those remote starters because he sometimes works in northern states where there is ice and snow. Wisconsin last year and New York state this year. He starts his truck by remote so that the ice and snow will melt off of the windshield and the interior will be warm.

It is not factory installed. I doubt that anyone in Florida would need anything like this, tho.

This is a mystery and tragedy that needs to be cleared up like NOW!

Yes you might ... to get the car 'cooled off' with the air conditioner.

I have an old car 1995, and had the remote starter put in recently .. because it gets really humid and hot here sometimes, and I get very sick in the humidity. So I start my car for awhile, to get it cooled off before I get in. Just a thought

Edited to add: I'm surprised that the mom hasn't apologized to the 'other' mom.

 

[Snick1946]

You just know there is more to this than meets the eye. I get the feeling that LE is not persuing much here- maybe that's the only course of action they can follow.
My hink meter went off loudly when I first read the story- nothing since has changed. Very sad.

 

[LaLaw2000]

Checking for updates. I sometimes lose track of the outcome because nothing else is printed about it.

Sure would like to know what is going on in this case.

 

[Angels_Not_Forgotten]

I would as well. It's been a strange one from EVERY angle!

 

[Vegas Bride]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/crime/judge-orders-return-of-suv-involved-in-carbon-671938.html

Interesting new article on this sad case.
It says that the vehichle was not shut off but left idling.
Judge has now ordered it to be returned to the owner.

VB

 

[jjenny]

She plead guilty to manslaughter and got probation.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/c...-pleads-guilty-in-carbon-monoxide-130952.html

 

[Melanie]

Wow - 2 dead children, and she receives probation. Since when have judges started sentencing people based on their best interest. If that were the case, our prisons would be empty. This woman could very well be a harm to the community, and if she did this on purpose (which IMO I think she did, based on the fact that she called 911 just in time to save herself and her dog). I'm shocked.

Under a plea deal in her best interests, Wilson was sentenced to five years probation and must obtain psychological counseling. She also must meet with the parents of her dead daughter's friend as well as her daughter's father to discuss what happened the night they died.

In addition, she must speak to groups to heighten awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning. She appeared before Circuit Judge Stephen Rapp.

MOO

Mel

 

[lizzybeth]

I'm sure it's been talking about before, but I wonder if the woman was intoxicated or under influence of some type of drug? If she did it intentionally why involve her daughter's friend?

 

[southcitymom]

I am happy with the verdict and can't imagine the pain this woman must be feeling as a result of her thoughtlessness.

It seems to me that drugs/alcohol may well be involved, but I don't recall ever reading any evidence of this.

My prayers to both of these families. Such a super sad case.

 

[Lyn1001]

I am happy with the verdict and can't imagine the pain this woman must be feeling as a result of her thoughtlessness.

It seems to me that drugs/alcohol may well be involved, but I don't recall ever reading any evidence of this.

My prayers to both of these families. Such a super sad case.

SCM ~ I always enjoy reading your posts, as they give me a different angle from which to look at situations. Often times your posts take me from my initial, emotional reaction and make me actually think about a situation. I do agree with you this is a sad case and my prayers go out to both families.

IMO ~ There were different stories in the papers at the time (although I never fully believe what the news says). The one thing that seemed fairly consistant was mom saying she could not get the car to turn off, then proceeded to close the garage door and go to bed. Okay, moment of stupidity that you beat yourself up for. Where I question it is the fact the vehicle was off and the keys were inside when the police got there. At what point did the vehicle turn off? Also, in the newest articles, it mentions her daughter told her the car was still running, but mom thought it was just the fan because it had done that in the past. That's different than what was said originally. I'm just uncomfortable with the discrepencies. Maybe it would be easier if we were privy to the actual facts in the case, not just what the news says. My other concern is mom didn't smell anything. If I'm warming up my car in my attached garage, with the garage door open and my tailpipe facing out of the garage, I can smell it after 10 minutes (which is why I only let it warm up for 5!). Normally, when there are descrepencies and the only thing we have to rely on are news articles, I don't feel so strongly about something. But this case set off my hinky meter from the beginning.

 

[Kat]

The verdict is fair IMHO.

But then again, I am not the Mother of the second child that was killed. I hope that this is deemed fair to them. JMHO.

 

[southcitymom]

SCM ~ I always enjoy reading your posts, as they give me a different angle from which to look at situations. Often times your posts take me from my initial, emotional reaction and make me actually think about a situation. I do agree with you this is a sad case and my prayers go out to both families.

IMO ~ There were different stories in the papers at the time (although I never fully believe what the news says). The one thing that seemed fairly consistant was mom saying she could not get the car to turn off, then proceeded to close the garage door and go to bed. Okay, moment of stupidity that you beat yourself up for. Where I question it is the fact the vehicle was off and the keys were inside when the police got there. At what point did the vehicle turn off? Also, in the newest articles, it mentions her daughter told her the car was still running, but mom thought it was just the fan because it had done that in the past. That's different than what was said originally. I'm just uncomfortable with the discrepencies. Maybe it would be easier if we were privy to the actual facts in the case, not just what the news says. My other concern is mom didn't smell anything. If I'm warming up my car in my attached garage, with the garage door open and my tailpipe facing out of the garage, I can smell it after 10 minutes (which is why I only let it warm up for 5!). Normally, when there are descrepencies and the only thing we have to rely on are news articles, I don't feel so strongly about something. But this case set off my hinky meter from the beginning.

You are very kind, Lyn.

Sometimes it is hard because, as you say, we aren't privy to all the facts and almost never know anything about the history of the people involved in these cases.

This always struck me as a terrible terrible accident - one where perhaps substances played a part, but an accident nonetheless.

I'm more naturally trusting than many people who hang out here and, as a general rule, I assume that the judge had and considered all of the evidence that matters.

There's just nothing here that leads me to believe this was murder by carbon monoxide, but I respect other viewpoints.

 

[Lyn1001]

You are very kind, Lyn.

Sometimes it is hard because, as you say, we aren't privy to all the facts and almost never know anything about the history of the people involved in these cases.

This always struck me as a terrible terrible accident - one where perhaps substances played a part, but an accident nonetheless.

I'm more naturally trusting than many people who hang out here and, as a general rule, I assume that the judge had and considered all of the evidence that matters.

There's just nothing here that leads me to believe this was murder by carbon monoxide, but I respect other viewpoints.

Thank you. I see where you're coming from and understand it's easier to see it as an accident when you're a more trusting person. Even before I started coming here I was a bit more jaded than others I know, quite possibly due to the jobs I have had working with a population that tends to lie or tell half truths. If I take people at face value, it can have terrible consequences for others.

 

[alsmom]

I didn't know she was charged. So sad for all involved

 

[MagicRose99]

Wow - 2 dead children, and she receives probation. Since when have judges started sentencing people based on their best interest. If that were the case, our prisons would be empty. This woman could very well be a harm to the community, and if she did this on purpose (which IMO I think she did, based on the fact that she called 911 just in time to save herself and her dog). I'm shocked.

Under a plea deal in her best interests, Wilson was sentenced to five years probation and must obtain psychological counseling. She also must meet with the parents of her dead daughter's friend as well as her daughter's father to discuss what happened the night they died.

In addition, she must speak to groups to heighten awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning. She appeared before Circuit Judge Stephen Rapp.

MOO

Mel

I don't think they meant that the judge sentenced based on "her best interests" - I think the article is poorly written and that it meant to say that the plea deal was in "her best interest" instead of taking the case to trial.

 

[rpipergirl]

Remote starters are commonplace here in the northeast where it gets downright COLD. My best friend's dad has one on his SUV. He uses it to warm up the car for us on cold nights. He can use it from behind closed doors. The car is just outside the door. I was wondering if the kids were in the car watching a dvd or something like that. Those fancy cars have entertainment systems in them. Maybe mom let them finish something they were watching on the way home from Wal-Mart and went and found them asleep in the car and put them to bed forgetting to shut the car off.