Deadly Gas Kills Couple, Granddaughters

Oct 12, 09:25 PM

Current Headlines: A Wisconsin breeder of Clydesdale horses, his wife and two granddaughters were found dead in their camper early Friday at a Clydesdale show.

Investigators said the four apparently died of carbon monoxide poisoning, an agricultural newsletter, Brownfield Network, reported. They were sleeping in a combined camper-horse trailer parked outside the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis., where the World Clydesdale Show is under way.

The dead were identified as DeVere and Barbara Clay, owners of Clay's Clydesdales, and Hope and Barbara Briney. All four lived in Tomah, Wis.

A space heater appeared to be the source of the carbon monoxide. While the camper had a roof vent, carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless gas, is heavier than air and does not rise.

On their Web site, the Clays said their grandchildren were the sixth generation of the family involved in Clydesdale breeding.

Organizers of the Clydesdale show planned to hold several memorials for the Clays and their granddaughters. The show, held in Wisconsin for the first time, runs through Sunday.