‘Wonderful people’: 3 family members killed in alleged carbon monoxide incident in Nahant identified

NAHANT, Mass. — On Cottage Street in Nahant, an unimaginable tragedy.

Three people were found dead after a wellness check Monday night at a house at 5 Cottage Street.

The Essex County District Attorney’s Office has identified the deceased parties as 77-year-old John Benson, his 74-year-old sister-in-law, Youngae Benson and 45-year-old Andrew Carruth, who was the nephew of John Benson.

“It’s scary, in this little town,” said resident John Molenti. “Wonderful people that’s all I can say about them. Never a problem with them, always great.”

Authorities say the suspected cause is carbon monoxide poisoning.

Late Tuesday afternoon, police returned to the home to take another look at appliances in the basement as they searched for the source of the carbon monoxide.

Ted Mahoney has lived on Cottage Street since 1971.

He says the house has stayed in the same family the entire time.

And the people who were most recently living there were a man and a woman in their 70s and a man in his late 30s.

He believes he saw one of them late last week.

“Yeah, I’m shook up, I’ve seen ambulances here before for medical problems, so I assumed that’s what it was last night. But then I realized it was a more severe problem,” said Mahoney. “I’m heartbroken. You couldn’t get better people.”

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Carbon monoxide poisoning is known as a silent killer. But the State Fire Marshal says there are steps that you can take to protect yourself.

“It’s a deadly, deadly toxin and the alarm is the only thing that’s going to save you,” Massachusetts State Fire Marshal Jon Davine said.

Davin says carbon monoxide detectors are your best defense, and if your alarm goes off, call immediately for help.

“Throw a jacket on, get outside, call 911 let the professionals come in and run their meters through your residence, and make sure that nothing is going to happen to you. Because when you go to sleep, it’s all over after that. You have high levels of carbon monoxide in your home and you go to bed? All bets are off,” Davine said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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