Married couple found dead in car in their home

JAKARTA (JP): A man and his wife were found dead in the back seat of their BMW sedan parked inside the garage of their West Jakarta home Saturday morning.

A West Jakarta police officer said that the couple -- Anwar Talib, 37, and Sriyati, 31 -- had died allegedly of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The officer, who asked for anonymity, said police believed the couple was in the car for about four hours before their bodies were found at 6 a.m. on Saturday by their maid Marmita.

"They must have died from inhaling the car's exhaust fumes. The engine was on when they were found by the maid," the officer said.

The couple lived with their three children and the maid in a three-bedroom house on Jl. Raya Kebon Jeruk 13, he said.

Marmita said that as soon as she found the dead couple in the garage, she asked neighbors to help turn off the car. She then called the police.

She said she became suspicious when she found one of the couple's children unconscious in a bedroom, while another one was crying.

The unconscious child was possibly the first person to see the bodies, Marmita said.

The officer said it was still unclear why the couple chose to sleep in the car and not in their own bedroom.

Police did not indicate that they believed the couple committed suicide.

He said his office was still collecting information from witnesses to clarify the case.

According to a forensics doctor at the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, Djaja S. Atmadja, the couple must have inhaled a dangerous level of carbon monoxide which may have penetrated into the car's interior through cracks or leaks in the body.

"Fumes from the exhaust pipe could easily enter the car if there is any crack in the car's body," he told The Jakarta Post.

"It doesn't matter whether the car is parked in the open or in a closed garage. The fumes can kill the passengers if it penetrates through the cracks and accumulates inside if the doors or windows are closed," he said.

Djaja urged passengers to have adequate circulation in their car and not to close all their windows if they wait in a parked car with the engine on for a long period of time.

He stressed that children were more susceptible to carbon monoxide poisoning.

"Victims usually don't realize if they are inhaling carbon monoxide because it is colorless and odorless. They just don't feel it," Djaja said.

He said victims of carbon monoxide poisoning could be easily identified from bright reddish marks on their backs.

At least one couple has been found dead in similar cases in the city every year.

"About two or three couples have fallen victim this year alone," Djaja said. (cst)