Carbon monoxide poisoning cause of family's death in B.C. Interior, daughter says
The death of a family of four has left the community of Venables Valley in B.C.'s Interior grief-stricken.
Harvey Volaine, Melissa Penner and their two sons were found dead in their home south of Ashcroft on Friday afternoon.
Volaine's daughter, Adrienne Volaine, told CBC the deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning, which resulted from a malfunction with the hot water heater in the home.
As of noon Monday, the RCMP had handed over its investigation to the B.C. Coroners Service.
In an emailed statement, the B.C. Coroners Service confirmed the suspected cause of death as carbon monoxide. It said it expects results from the toxicological examinations to be available later this week.
Volaine said investigators have now left the home and it has been returned to the family.
Speculation around what happened to the family has caused grief for Adrienne and her family.
"I want everyone to know what happened, so they can stop with the crazy comments, she said.
"People are ruthless."
Adrienne, her partner, their children, Adrienne's mother and Volaine, Penner and their sons recently returned home from a family trip to Costa Rica.
"We all came home together," Adrienne said. "I just parted ways with them in Vancouver."
Hare Krishna community
The community is very rural with no electricity unless you make it yourself, explained Barbara Roden, the editor of the Ashcroft Cache Creek Journal.
She said many of the community members in Venables Valley were part of the Hare Krishna religious community, although she wasn't sure if the family were also members.
David Musterer, a senior member of the Hare Krishna community, says Volaine had been living in the area on and off for 30 years.
"They didn't interact a lot with the community but we're still a bit of a tight-knit community, so we all knew them," Musterer said.
"It's very hard to wrap your head around when a whole family is lost like that."
Musterer said the community will be gathering to discuss the tragedy further and will be praying for the family's welfare.
Roden said grief counsellors were brought into the community to help people cope.
With files from Jane Armstrong, Rod Romanow and Daybreak Kamloops
