By DON AINES
NOVEMBER 1, 2010
dona@herald-mail.com
UPPER STRASBURG, Pa. — A 24-year-old Chambersburg man and his two young daughters were found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning in a remote area of Franklin County on Sunday in what county Coroner Jeffrey R. Conner said was a double murder and suicide.
Conway Ashley Weller, 24, of Cleveland Avenue, and the two girls, Leeairra Ann Weller, 5, and 8-month-old Caléigh Ainsley Weller, were pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 11 p.m., Conner said. They died of asphyxia due to carbon monoxide poisoning, he said.
Conner listed Weller’s death as a suicide and the deaths of the girls as homicides. There were no other signs of trauma to the children, Conner said.
All three were found in a vehicle at the end of a road leading to a tower off Broad Mountain Road in Letterkenny Township, Pa., Conner said. Broad Mountain Road runs through Buchanan State Forest, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said.
All three had different addresses in Chambersburg, Conner said. Leeairra Weller was the daughter of Laura Wing, while Caléigh was the daughter of Rachael Hawk, the news release issued by Conner said.
The Chambersburg Police Department began its investigation into Weller and the missing children at about 4 p.m. Sunday, said Trooper Thomas Pinkerton, spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Police. At a later point, state police were asked to be on the lookout for a vehicle that Weller was operating, he said.
State police were told that Weller was possibly suicidal and that he might have gone to that area of Letterkenny Township, Pinkerton said.
“There was evidence at the scene that they may have died of carbon monoxide poisoning, but we don’t definitively know that,” Pinkerton said before Conner released the causes and manners of death.
Conner declined to give details about how the three were exposed to the carbon monoxide.
When troopers found the vehicle, it had to be forcibly entered to get to Weller and the victims, he said.
The vehicle was found at about 10:45 p.m., and the trio were pronounced dead shortly after 11 p.m., Conner said.
4 comments:
Here is more background information detail on this tragedy. Since your blog addresses things of this nature, I thought I should share the link along to you.
http://www.publicopiniononline.com/localnews/ci_16496435
Also, a kind article on the children.
http://www.herald-mail.com/?cmd=displaystory&story_id=255888&format=html
Take care out there,
Toni...
Harrisburg, PA...
Many articles give info for donations to the family of the 8 month old. They were 2 separate families, dealing with his grief. To make a donation to Leeairra's family, memorial contributions may be made to Hamilton Heights Elementary School PTO in Leeairra's name, 1589 Johnson Road, Chambersburg, PA 17202 or Franklin County Head Start, 275 South Gate Shopping Center, Chambersburg, PA 17201.
For Caleigh's family, donations can be made to: F&M Trust, c/o Caléigh Weller's Memorial Fund, Lincoln Way East, 20 South Main Street, Chambersburg, PA 17201.
Please help these poor mothers. I am not related to the families, I just feel so bad for these young mom's.
I just now stumbled across this.. Thank u very much for getting our contribution information out there... That means a very lot... Things are always very difficult and life is very hard... but we are just trying to get by one day at a time...
Rachael Hawk (Caléigh's mommy)
Also the papers are not always right and the search did not start nearly as early as they said.. It took the police a while after I went there to actually start looking!
Rachael Hawk
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