Carbon monoxide blamed in death of women in car
At least two of three people found dead in a parked car south of Fort McMurray on Tuesday died from carbon monoxide poisoning, said friends and family members of the victims.
Two of the victims have been identified as Tristan Dave-Lawrence, 21, of Red Deer and Tanisha Peterson, 22, of Camrose.
A 29-year-old male driver, whose identity is still unknown, also died.
Their vehicle, say RCMP, was found parked at the Laguna Access Road at 12:25 p.m. Tuesday near Conklin, a hamlet 357 km northeast of Edmonton.
Emergency aid was given to all three people by RCMP officers who made the discovery. The victims were pronounced dead at the scene when emergency workers arrived.
The two women were scheduled to work an afternoon shift at Karen’s Restaurant and Lounge, a diner at the corner of Highway 881 and Northland Drive on the outskirts of the hamlet, on the day they were found.
Dave-Lawrence had left her home in Red Deer to begin a 21day shift at the restaurant shortly after the holiday season.
Megan King, who was friends with both women, said the two had been working at the restaurant for less than three months.
Although they found the location isolating, the job paid well and the two planned to find work closer to home once they had enough money saved.
Both women are described as generous people with an “outgoing and bubbly” demeanour by friends.
Theresa Adams, another friend of both women, said Peterson was someone who could “always make someone feel welcome and at home.”
Dave-Lawrence would buy groceries for friends during hard times.
“Tristan always wanted people to be happy,” said King.
“She touched me with how compassionate she was. She loved everyone and always saw the good in everybody.”
Their friends want others to be mindful of carbon monoxide poisoning, so other families do not suffer the same loss.
“It is a silent killer. The public should be educated on what it can do when you leave your car running, especially if you have an older car or a known exhaust leak,” said King.