DERRY, N.H. (WHDH) – A man and his 6-year-old son were found dead Monday afternoon inside a mobile home in Derry, New Hampshire and officials ruled the deaths a murder-suicide.
Police were called to the home on Kendall Pond Road at around 12:30 p.m. for a welfare check. Police said officers found a sign hanging from the living room ceiling fan that warned police that they “will find me and my son” in the bedroom and to be aware of “dangerous carbon monoxide levels.” Officers then forced entry into the bedroom.
The attorney general’s office said police found the bodies of 39-year-old Matthew Edmunds and his son, Preston Connor Edmunds, in the bedroom. Officers observed that the room had been sealed from the inside using duct tape and a blanket. Also in the room, officers located two charcoal grills each containing burnt charcoal and ash.
An autopsy report found Preston Edmunds died of carbon monoxide poisoning and the manner of death was homicide. Matthew Edmunds’ cause of death was said to be carbon monoxide poisoning and the manner of death was suicide.
“He was a great little boy,” said Charlotte Wright, Preston’s great-grandmother.
A makeshift memorial was set up outside the Edmunds’ home.
“I truly believe he’s in heaven now,” neighbor Corrine Wilson said of Preston. “I want him to rest in peace up there.”
Authorities said the father and son were the only residents of the home. 7News learned that the family had lost another young son several years ago.
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