Death investigation underway in Pleasant Ridge; carbon monoxide suspected

61-year-old woman found dead in home on Maywood Avenue

PLEASANT RIDGE, Mich. – It was the middle of the night when a home on Maywood Avenue was blocked off with crime scene tape. 

Kathryn Ladouceur, 61, was found unconscious inside her home. That was not the only discovery. 

"Officers and fire personnel smelled something odd. A CO2 detector was brought in and some high levels of CO2 in the house were detected," said Sgt. Robert Reed, of the Pleasant Ridge Police Department. 

Inspectors determined there were high levels of carbon monoxide (CO) in the home. The levels were so high that police kept the tape up to keep people out. 

"There were high levels in the basement. I was told 700, so we're looking into that right now," said Reed.  

Bill Bolton has been living next to Ladouceur and her husband for about two decades. He can't believe how quickly life changed overnight. 

"We're all pretty vulnerable and we take everyday to its fullest, we never know when our last day is going to be," he said. 

It was 12:30 a.m. when the 911 call came in. While carbon monoxide may be the cause of this wife and mother's death, an investigation is underway.

"At this point we're just investigating to make sure everything is OK. At this point we're treating it as a medical situation and looking into other issues to make sure there was nothing criminal," said Reed. 

Authorities are awaiting the results of a toxicology report to determine an exact cause of death. 

A spokeswoman from Consumers Energy said there was a problem with the venting from the boiler and hot water heater in the home. There may have been some corrosion which caused the home's chimney to fall in on itself. 

There was no carbon monoxide detector in the home. 

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Overview | HealthGrove