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Cause of death confirmed for most of Mass. family found dead in NH
A memorial fund to honor the deceased family has raised more than $28,000 as of Jan. 16.
Carbon monoxide poisoning has been confirmed as the cause of death for three members of a Newton family who was found dead inside their vacation home in Wakefield, New Hampshire on Christmas Day.
The family of four was expected to attend a holiday event, but when they failed to arrive, family members contacted local authorities to request a welfare check, according to a statement from state officials.
The afternoon of Dec. 25, police responded to a home in Wakefield, according to the statement. Inside the residence, officers found four people — later identified as Matthew Goldstein, 52, Lyla Goldstein, 54, Valerie Goldstein, 22, and Violet Goldstein, 19 — dead at the scene.
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The Goldstein’s extended family established a memorial fund to honor the victims. The money raised —more than $28,000 as of Thursday — will go toward Brookline Public Schools and Baskerville Elementary School, where Matthew and Valerie taught, respectively.
Investigators determined that the family’s propane gas home heating system malfunctioned, damaging its ventilation system.
On Wednesday, authorities confirmed that Valerie and Violet’s cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning.
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that “kills without warning,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Matthew’s cause of death, which was previously released, was also carbon monoxide poisoning. Lyla’s cause of death is still pending as the investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
‘An indelible mark’
Matthew, father to Valerie and Violet, was a middle school math teacher at the Edith C. Baker School in Brookline.
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“An 8th grade Math teacher at the Baker School, Mr. Goldstein was an exceptional educator who brought passion, kindness, and excellence to his classroom,” Brookline Public Schools Superintendent Linus Guillory said in a statement. “His dedication to inspiring students and shaping young minds has left an indelible mark on all who had the privilege of knowing him.”
Valerie was in her first year of her commitment for Teach for America as a 5th grade teacher at Baskerville Elementary in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
“Valerie was interested in making an impact in public service and like her father, Valerie was inspired by and loved her students,” her family’s obituary says.
Lyla, mother to the family and graduate of the Brookline High School class of 1988, is remembered as the “person who brought everyone together,” the obituary reads.
“Lyla was generous and thought of everyone else first,” the obituary says. “Being a mother to Valerie and Violet brought her immeasurable joy and she always glowed when speaking of her two extraordinary daughters.”
Violet, a first-year student at the Rhode Island School of Design, was a “talented artist” who “lit up every room,” according to the obituary.
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“This is an unimaginable loss for Violet’s loved ones, friends, faculty, peers, and all of us in the RISD community,” Crystal Williams, President of the Rhode Island school, wrote in a statement to the community. “I know that you join me in feeling utter heartbreak at the loss of such a promising young member of our community, along with her family, on what should have been a joyous occasion.”
New carbon monoxide poisoning prevention efforts
The State Fire Marshal’s office announced a project on Tuesday which aims to reduce unnecessary carbon monoxide deaths in New Hampshire through “public education and free installation of alarms in schools and homes.”
Using grant funding, officials purchased more than 2,000 carbon monoxide alarms, according to a statement from the office.
The alarms will be installed at schools in the state without detectors, according to authorities, and others will be given to the American Red Cross to be placed in homes that need them.
“We are determined to reduce incidents of carbon monoxide poisoning and bring unnecessary CO deaths down to zero,” State Fire Marshal Toomey said in the statement. “We want residents and visitors to be aware of CO poisoning risks and to be able to recognize carbon monoxide sources.”
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