Luke Reimer and Mary Mich Franciscan University students death by carbon monoxide poisoning while sitting inside parked car at Steubenville, Ohio college campus grounds.
Two Steubenville, Ohio students attending a private Catholic college were found deceased in a parked vehicle on Monday following a welfare check.
Luke Reimer, 20, of Indian Shores, Florida, and 20-year-old Mary Mich of Downington, Pennsylvania, both of whom attended Franciscan University were found deceased inside a car just after noon, Monday, Jan. 19, at college parking grounds after the Steubenville Police Department conducting a requested welfare check according to university president Father Dave Pivonka.
The two 20-year-olds were located inside a car in the parking lot of the school’s St. Agnes Residence Hall, said Father Pivonka.
Tragic accidental deaths by carbon monoxide poisoning
While authorities had yet to definitively announce the cause of the two students deaths and how they came to die inside the vehicle, and how long they had been in the vehicle, officials didn’t deem the students’ deaths as the result of foul play.
‘Our initial investigation did not show any signs of foul play,’ a police spokesman told The U.S. Sun.
‘We are waiting on an official cause of death from the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office.’
‘At this time, early indicators suggest this was a tragic accident related to a potential vehicle exhaust or engine malfunction,’ Father David Pivonka said in his statement.
News of the deaths ‘brings profound sorrow to our entire Franciscan University community,’ said Father Pivonka, a member of the Franciscans’ Third Order Regular.
‘We grieve the loss of two young lives, and our hearts ache for their families, friends, classmates, professors, and all who knew and loved them,’ he said. ‘Please know that we are holding Luke and Mary, and all who mourn them, close in prayer, asking the Lord for comfort, mercy, and peace.’
A tragedy that could’ve been averted?
Not immediately clear is how the students came to be enveloped by presumed carbon monoxide poisoning and whether they were so overwhelmed they were unable to exit the vehicle.
Posted one commentator on social media, ‘If you are going to sit in your car in the winter to keep you warm for an extended period of time, crack the windows just a little bit. I was warned to do this when I worked overnights and would take a quick nap in my car during my meal hour. If you do this, you won’t get carbon monoxide poisoning.’
Officials await an official cause of death in the coming days as a community mourns the deaths of the two students.
