COLUMBUS – Authorities in Genoa Township say carbon monoxide poisoning is suspected in the deaths of four members of a family and their three dogs but an official determination had not been released Friday morning.
Township police and fire personnel went to the home on Lewis Center Road at 1:19 p.m. Thursday after a 911 call from a concerned family member and found the bodies of Richard Reitter III, 50, his wife Jennifer, 49, and their children, Richard, 15 and Grace Reitter, 13, as well as the dogs, according to a joint release from township police Chief Richard Gammill and Deputy Chief Joseph Ponzi of the Genoa Township Fire Department.
We are deeply saddened to learn about the passing of the Reitter family. Our school community is very close and this tragedy is felt by all. Counselors and support staff are at the schools that Gabe and Grace attended. The Reitter family is in our thoughts and hearts.
— Olentangy Schools (@OlentangySD) May 3, 2019
The Reitter children attended schools in the Olentangy Local Schools, which issued a statement of grief and support Friday morning.
Gammill and Ponzi say the 911 call came from a relative who indicated the family had complained of illness and no one had been able to contact them for three days.
When they arrived at the home, officers spoke to concerned family members and conducted a more detailed check of the residence which is when they saw an unresponsive person inside the home and made a forced entry.
Although carbon monoxide poisoning is the suspected cause of death, an official determination had not yet been released by the coroner, Gammill and Ponzi said.