'Carbon monoxide poisoning reason behind Madaba couple’s death'

AMMAN — Authorities on Monday said that carbon monoxide poisoning had claimed the lives of an elderly man and his wife in Madaba.

The 83-year-old man and his 66-year-old wife, who lived alone, were found dead by police after a neighbour contacted authorities to report an odd odour emitting from the home in Malih town, a senior official source said.

“A neighbour, who noticed her neighbours had not be seen for three days, went to check on them and smelled something bad and decided to contact the police,” the official source told The Jordan Times.

Investigators found the woman in a chair, while her husband was lying on the floor with a gas heater next to them, according to the official source.

“The gas heater was turned on, but there was no gas in the cylinder, which is an indication that there was a gas leakage or improper air ventilation, which caused the couple to inhale carbon monoxide,” according to the source.

The carbon monoxide theory was confirmed by an autopsy which was conducted by pathologists Saif Hamarneh, Ahmad Odeh and Muthana Shawabkeh, a senior medical source said.

“The government physicians examined the couple’s blood and determined that it contained carbon monoxide, and that they had been dead for at least three days,” the senior medical source told The Jordan Times.

Blood and tissue samples taken from the victims were sent to the criminal lab for further analysis, the medical source said.

“It will take around three weeks before conclusive results are determined by the criminal lab experts,” the medical source added. 

Police Spokesperson Lt. Col. Amer Sartawi said investigators are ruling the incident as an accident for the time being.

“There are no signs of struggle or bruises on the victims’ bodies, and we are ruling out foul play until the investigations are over,” Sartawi told The Jordan Times.