http://www.hannibal.net/article/20131226/NEWS/131229407/1001/NEWS

Pike County, MO  12/26/2013

A man and woman residing in a small camper died sometime Wednesday night or Thursday morning in rural Pike County, Mo., after being overcome by carbon monoxide, according to Jim Turner, Pike County coroner.

A man and woman residing in a small camper died sometime Wednesday night or Thursday morning in rural Pike County, Mo., after being overcome by carbon monoxide, according to Jim Turner, Pike County coroner.

“It was two people living in a small camper-type trailer. They hooked up to a propane tank and had a space heater in there. Basically it was too big of a heater for that small of containment and they more or less passed out from carbon monoxide poisoning,” said the coroner.

The victims were identified as Howard Stout, 49, and Theresa Stout, 48. The couple had been living in the camper “for a little while,” reported Turner. The camper was located on the property of a family member off of Pike County Road 15, near Frankford.

The couple was discovered around 10 a.m. Thursday by a family member, according to Turner.

The Stouts were last seen alive around 3 p.m. Christmas afternoon.

No autopsy is planned, according to Turner.

“There was no foul play suspected,” he said.

The veteran coroner said this was an unusual situation.   “This is the first one (carbon monoxide poisoning) in a while,” he said. “I’ve had calls with people that have died in a house, but not normally due to too much heat, I guess you would say.”

Playing major factors in the incident were the size of the heater and camper.   “From what I understand from the fire department it was too big of a device for the area it was trying to heat,” said Turner. “It wasn’t a trailer, like you think of a double-wide or single-wide trailer, it was just a camping-type trailer … a little trailer, like someone would stay in for a weekend, but not live in.”

The Stouts were taken to the Mudd-Veach Funeral Home.