CACHE COUNTY, Utah (ABC 4 News) - The bodies of two people from Colorado were found Sunday morning at a Cache County camp site. Authorities say they probably died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The victims are 28-year-old Steven Dowdy of Clifton, Colorado, and 10-year-old Darian Thomlinson of nearby Grand Junction. The two were found inside a tent off Ant Flat Road about two miles from the Weber County Line. They were among hundreds of people attending a paintball tournament.
Lt. Matt Bilodeau of the Cache County Sheriff’s Office says, “Somebody went to wake up the victims for the activities of the day, found them unconscious, and unresponsive.”
Bilodeau believes the two went to sleep with a propane heater inside their sealed tent. Bilodeau says, “They had a five-pound propane tank hooked to a heater that screws on the top.” Bilodeau says the medical examiner will determine the exact cause of death.
Barbara Crouch is the director of Utah Poison Control Center. She says carbon monoxide poisoning can happen in the summer too. Crouch says, “You need to keep the propane heaters out of the tents. In the closed space that’s where carbon monoxide concentrations can build up to deadly concentrations.”
The Cache County Sheriff's Office says Darian often referred to Steve as , “Uncle,” although the two were not blood relatives. The Sheriff's Office says Darian’s family was in a tent trailer next to the tent where Steve and Darian were sleeping.
