Investigators are examining how dangerous levels of the odorless gas entered the family’s Ford Explorer after it developed a flat tire.
TOLEDO, Ohio — Four young children and their 36-year-old grandmother have died after they were found unconscious inside an SUV containing dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, authorities and family members said.
The family was discovered shortly after 11 a.m. July 15 in a parking lot in the 300 block of Phillips Avenue, near Detroit Avenue. The Ford Explorer had stopped after developing a flat tire. Three people initially died, while two children were hospitalized in critical condition. Both hospitalized children later died, raising the death toll to five.
Family members identified the victims as Stone Coleman, 2; Storm Coleman, 3; twins Liberty Coleman and Legacy Coleman, both 4; and their grandmother, Candace McAllister. The children’s mother, Adriana Coleman, told WTVG that Legacy was removed from life support Friday after doctors treated him for critical injuries.
Authorities said McAllister called the children’s father for help after the flat tire left the vehicle unable to continue. When he arrived at the parking lot, he found McAllister and the four children unconscious inside the Explorer and called emergency responders.
Toledo police officers, firefighters and hazardous-materials personnel responded. Crews began emergency medical treatment and transported all five family members to hospitals. Fire officials said high temperatures added to the difficulty of the response as crews worked to identify what had caused everyone in the vehicle to lose consciousness.
Investigators later confirmed that carbon monoxide was present in the passenger compartment. Toledo Fire Chief Allison Armstrong told The Associated Press that investigators placed a meter inside the vehicle, closed its doors and restarted it. The meter recorded a sharp increase in carbon monoxide, she said.
The children’s mother told WTVG that a detective informed the family that the carbon monoxide level measured inside the vehicle was five times the lethal limit. Authorities have not publicly released a final report confirming that measurement or explaining how the gas entered the passenger area.
Police towed the Explorer for additional examination. Armstrong said investigators must determine what allowed the carbon monoxide to collect because the findings could have broader safety importance. The vehicle’s model year, repair history and mechanical condition had not been publicly released as of Sunday.
Federal regulators previously investigated reports of exhaust odors entering some Ford Explorers from the 2011 through 2017 model years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration closed the six-year review in 2023 without ordering a recall after finding no widespread carbon monoxide defect. The agency said its review included more than 6,500 consumer complaints and nearly 1.5 million vehicles. Officials have not said whether the Explorer in the Toledo case was from one of the model years included in that investigation.
Toledo officials have described the deaths as an apparent accident and said investigators found no indication of foul play. The precise source of the carbon monoxide remains under investigation, and authorities have not announced whether damage, a mechanical failure or another condition allowed exhaust to enter the SUV.
Author note: Last updated July 19, 2026.