{"id":149164,"date":"2026-02-09T19:14:46","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T19:14:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/149164\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T19:14:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T19:14:46","slug":"push-to-start-vehicle-source-of-carbon-monoxide-poisoning-that-claimed-lives-of-neptune-beach-couple-dog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/149164\/","title":{"rendered":"Push-to-start vehicle source of carbon monoxide poisoning that claimed lives of Neptune Beach couple, dog"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. \u2013 An elderly couple and their dog found dead in their Neptune Beach home last October<\/a> were victims of carbon monoxide poisoning after failing to fully shut off their push-to-start vehicle, News4JAX confirmed on Monday.<\/p>\n

Janet George and Mark Stewart, along with their pet, were discovered in their North Street residence. News4JAX learned the carbon monoxide poisoning came from their vehicle, which was an older model lacking automatic shutoff features.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe road was blocked off with the tape for a long, long time,\u201d said Bob Strachan, a neighbor who described the incident as \u201cvery sad.\u201d He mentioned that carbon monoxide poisoning had been suspected by residents in the area.<\/p>\n

Silent Killer Warning<\/p>\n

Michael McCormick from Florida Poison Control warned that carbon monoxide is known as the \u201csilent killer,\u201d with modern vehicles posing particular risks.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs these cars get to be more and more quiet, this is a danger and we do see stories like this,\u201d McCormick said.<\/p>\n

Vacation Property and Hotel Safety<\/p>\n

McCormick strongly advised travelers to be vigilant about carbon monoxide detection when staying away from home. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe really suggest that you check with any sort of vacation property that you are renting to make sure it has a carbon monoxide detector and make sure it\u2019s working when you get there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He recommended travelers carry their own portable detectors, which cost around $20-30. <\/p>\n

\u201cPeople think I\u2019m crazy, but I do travel with one now because it\u2019s not just the Airbnbs, we\u2019ve seen it at hotels,\u201d McCormick explained. He noted that risks can come from unexpected sources, such as pool equipment or mechanical rooms.<\/p>\n

Proper Detector Placement and Warning Signs<\/p>\n

Unlike smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors should be placed at chest or waist level, particularly near bedrooms. \u201cThe people at most risk are when you are sleeping,\u201d McCormick warned.<\/p>\n

Key warning signs of carbon monoxide exposure include:<\/p>\n

Flu-like symptoms (without fever)<\/p>\n

Mental confusion<\/p>\n

Dizziness<\/p>\n

Nausea<\/p>\n

Sleepiness<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst thing you need to do is get out to fresh air,\u201d McCormick emphasized.<\/p>\n

Home Safety Tips<\/p>\n

Florida Poison Control emphasized several safety measures to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning:<\/p>\n

Ensure proper ventilation for gas appliances, including stoves, water heaters, and dryers<\/p>\n

Keep charcoal grills at least 20 feet away from houses<\/p>\n

Install carbon monoxide detectors at proper height levels<\/p>\n

When renting or staying in vacation properties, verify carbon monoxide detector presence<\/p>\n

Consider purchasing portable carbon monoxide detectors for travel<\/p>\n

Stay at least 20 feet away from running equipment that could produce fumes<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem that we run into is a lot of times, maybe somebody\u2019s doing something right outside their house, but it\u2019s close,\u201d McCormick explained. \u201cWe always say you need to be 20 feet away because those fumes have an unbelievable way to sneak back into your house.\u201d<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. \u2013 An elderly couple and their dog found dead in their Neptune Beach home last…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":149165,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117,9950],"class_list":{"0":"post-149164","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville","8":"tag-jacksonville","9":"tag-jacksonville-headlines","10":"tag-jacksonville-news","11":"tag-neptune-beach"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149164\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/149165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}