Family of 4 found dead on Christmas Day after suspected carbon monoxide leak 

A Massachusetts family of four was found dead after a suspected carbon monoxide leak on Christmas Day, authorities said.

The Goldstein family, of Newtown, Mass., was found dead in their New Hampshire lake house just before 4:30 p.m. Wednesday after they didn’t show up to a holiday gathering and extended family called police, according to New Hampshire State Fire Marshal Sean Toomey.

High volumes of carbon monoxide were reported inside the Wakefield home at the time of the discovery, and the patriarch – identified as school teacher Matthew Goldstein, 52 – was determined to have died from carbon monoxide poisoning. 

The propane heating system in the vacation home appeared to have malfunctioned, authorities told the Associated Press.

Lyla Goldstein, 54, a project manager at Microsoft, also died in the accident, as well as the couple’s daughters Valerie, a 22-year-old Teach for America fifth grade teacher in North Carolina and Violet, a 19-year-old Rhode Island School of Design student.

Autopsies on all family members were performed on Thursday and a cause of death for the three women is pending. There were no carbon monoxide detectors found in the house, investigators said.

“Efforts to determine the cause of the suspected carbon monoxide leak remain active and ongoing, and investigators are continuing to inspect the home’s gas heating system,” the state fire marshal said in a Friday update.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless and colorless gas that can cause sudden illness and even death if inhaled, according to the CDC.

More than 400 Americans are killed each year from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning not connected to fires – and more than 100,000 visit the emergency room and 14,000 are hospitalized.

The CDC recommends having home chimneys checked and cleaned annually, as chimneys can be blocked by debris that can cause carbon monoxide to build indoors.

The agency also recommends replacing carbon monoxide detectors every five years or per the manufacturer’s instructions.