New Hampshire authorities released disturbing details about the murder-suicide of a 6-year-old Derry boy and his father, whose bodies were discovered on Monday.
Thirty-nine-year-old Matthew Edmunds and his son, Preston Connor Edmunds were found dead in a bedroom inside the mobile home they lived at on Kendall Pond Road on Monday afternoon during a welfare check by local police, according to the state's attorney general.
The bedroom where they were found had been sealed from inside using duct tape and a blanket, and two charcoal grills containing burnt charcoal and ashes were found as well, investigators said.
Police also found a sign hanging from the living room ceiling fan informing officers that they "will find me and my son" in the bedroom, warning them of "dangerous carbon monoxide levels."
Autopsies performed on Matthew and Preston Connor Edmunds found they had died by carbon monoxide poisoning. Preston Connor's cause of death was ruled as a homicide, while his father's death was ruled as a suicide.
The boy and his father were the only ones living at the mobile home, according to authorities.
The child's uncle, Neil Desjardins, is grieving several miles away in Hudson. He did not want to go on camera, but he said the child's mother recently separated from Matthew Edmunds. He added that the couple's other young son died several years ago during an accidental drowning.
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On Monday, neighbors told NBC10 Boston they were a quiet family.
"He just seemed like a guy trying to take care of his son. He mowed his lawn, he snowblowed out here," said Donna, who only gave her first name.
"It's sad, cause he was young," said another neighbor, Mark Watts, who teared up while dropping off flowers at the scene with his wife. "He just seemed like he did all the right things, you know?"
Jean Perron, who lives nearby, recalled how Preston Connor would come over to play with her granddaughter.
"He was so cute. He was the funniest little guy ever," she said. "So sad ... so sad."
