7 people found dead in Minnesota home 0:41
(CNN) -
A family of seven, including three children, who were found dead earlier this week inside a northwestern Minnesota home, have died of what appears to be accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, police said. on Wednesday.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office concluded in its preliminary results that the bodies of the seven appeared to have a red color, which is consistent with carbon monoxide toxicity, Chief Shannon Monroe of the Moorhead Police Department said in a press conference.
Laboratory results of the blood samples also confirmed the cause of death, he added.
According to the police, those who died on Saturday are Belin Hernández, 37, and his wife Marleny Pinto, 34.
Their children Breylin Hernandez, 16, Mike Hernandez, 7, and Marbely Hernandez, 5, were also killed in the incident, Monroe said.
Seven people, including three children, were found dead in a Minnesota home
The poisoning also claimed the lives of Eldor Hernández Castillo, 32-year-old brother of Belin Hernández, and the parents' niece, Mariela Guzmán Pinto, 19, according to police.
Monroe said there was no indication of "any type of criminal activity" at this time.
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"Unless we find something later in the investigation, at this point it points to some kind of accidental situation," Monroe said.
Family members were conducting a wellness check at the South Moorhead home when they discovered the bodies and called 911, CNN affiliate KARE reported.
There were no signs of forced entry or violence into the home, according to CNN affiliate KVRR.
Investigation of the deaths revealed that there were two known sources of carbon monoxide: a furnace and a vehicle that was parked in the garage house, police explained.
Detectives located a dislodged carbon monoxide detector, and in its place was a smoke-only detector, Monroe said.
Investigators are also conducting additional tests to determine if the carbon monoxide originated in the vehicle's exhaust, which family members said had some mechanical problems related to the battery, authorities said.
Police found the vehicle with a dead battery and a half gas tank, according to Monroe.
Moorhead is in Clay County, just across the Red River from Fargo, North Dakota.
CNN's Raja Razek, Claudia Domínguez, Alaa Elassar, and Laura James contributed to this report.
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