Carbon monoxide likely in deaths

Preliminary autopsy results Tuesday indicate that carbon monoxide poisoning killed five passengers in a Ford F-150 Sunday night after it got stuck in a retention bank while mudding at a racetrack, Ector County sheriff Sgt. Gary Duesler said.

Autopsies were performed on Lenin Polanco, Martha Isela Caballero, Gladisela C. Polanco, Maurilio Hernandez and Adan V. Saucedo at the Tarrant County medical examiner's office. Investigators found the exhaust pipes were clogged with water while the engine was running and the windows were all closed in the truck after it got stuck in about four feet of water at a south Odessa horse racing track.

Sheriff Mark Donaldson said the investigation was ongoing while they were waiting for the final autopsy results, but they have not seen anything potentially criminal in the accident.

Ector County Medical Examiner Carl Rogers said his office worked five other deaths since 2006 where carbon monoxide poisoning was blamed, though four of those five involved two house fires. In November of 2007, a man who used his fireplace without proper ventilation became the only CO fatality in Ector County since 2006 not involving a structure fire until Sunday's accident.

"In comparison to the number of car wrecks and homicides, this is going to be a relatively small number," he said.

Calls to track owner Juan "J.C." Cazares were not answered Tuesday.

Ed Stewart of Exhaust Sounds in West Odessa said the carbon monoxide likely was forced through some vent in the truck, possibly the air conditioning, the floorboard or an external vent, though he said it was hard to tell without looking at the truck himself. All vehicles are supposed to have the exhaust going down and either out the back or to the side from the engine.

"If they were in the mud, there was nowhere for the exhaust to go except up," Stewart said.

Meanwhile, families in both Kermit and Monahans began the grim task of planning the funerals.  The Polancos will all have their funerals at 2 p.m. Friday at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Kermit. The death notice sent in on the three noted Martha's last name as Polanco as well, which is different from what news releases from the sheriff's office have said.

Funeral services are also pending for Hernandez at the Martinez-Smith and Miller Funeral Chapel of Monahans. in Monahans. No notices were received Tuesday for Saucedo.

People were still talking about the accident Tuesday in Kermit. Waitress Tylyn Parrish said flowers were still piling up at the Polanco's home while text messages were flying around town and through Jerrie's Café over it.

"People have been talking about it," she said. " ‘Did you hear,' people giving prayers, that kind of thing."