Father, son found dead in vehicle died from carbon monoxide

The area where a Jeep Cherokee was found partially submerged Tuesday morning in Saline County.
The area where a Jeep Cherokee was found partially submerged Tuesday morning in Saline County.

A father and son who were found dead in a partially submerged Jeep in the Saline River last month died from carbon monoxide intoxication, authorities said Tuesday.

Lt. Jeffrey Silk said in a statement the state Crime Laboratory determined the cause of death for Lonnie Moore and his 8-year-old son and that there were no signs of any suspicious circumstances surrounding the deaths.

The two were found June 30 inside a Jeep in the water south of Lake Norrell. The rear of the vehicle was submerged, but the front, where Moore was in the driver's seat and his son in the front passenger seat, was out of it.

Authorities had said that day that carbon monoxide poisoning was one possibility, noting that the rear of the Jeep being underwater likely would have forced the deadly gas into the cab.

The statement said the sheriff's office "urges all citizens of Saline County to be aware of the dangers associated with driving 4X4 vehicles in and through high water."

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