A couple in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, their adopted teenage niece and their three pet dogs were found dead in their home on Monday, after relatives said the family's electricity had been cut off days earlier. Family members are angry, believing the deaths may be linked to a generator brought in to restore power after the household fell behind on its electricity bill, with investigators examining whether it was run inside the home rather than outdoors, potentially causing fatal carbon monoxide poisoning. An official cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

Tracey Swann, 63, and Kenneth Swann, 56, had adopted their nieces Hannah and Mahala Scurlock after the sisters lost both parents; Mahala, who was autistic, had recently completed a community college course towards becoming a veterinarian. Relatives say Tracey had tried to pay part of the family's overdue electric bill, but the city would only accept payment in full, after which power to their mobile home was disconnected. Hannah Scurlock discovered the bodies on Monday morning after failing to reach the family over the weekend, while Tracey's daughter, Krista Crisp, said a relative who visited the property described smelling death before the family was found.