Children find parents gassed

Three children who found their parents dead at home were last night being cared for by family members.

The youngsters, all under 13, found the bodies of Bernadette and David Otimi and raised the alarm around 8.45am on Thursday.

A patio gas heater was found in the couple's bedroom and police said yesterday that carbon monoxide gas probably killed them.

A niece of Mr Otimi said whanau from around the country were at Kauriki Marae in Taumarunui to be with the children.

Speaking to the Weekend Herald last night, she said: "It's still too raw, just too raw. But he was my uncle, a very beautiful man - beautiful people and a beautiful family."

Residents on Taupo Rd - where the Otimi family live - said the couple and their children were good neighbours who kept to themselves.

Stephen Earl, who lives just behind the Otimis, said they usually had family or friends at their house.

"There's always kids around at their place and they had their usual friends," Mr Earl said.

"They'd say hello and that, when they saw me. They were good neighbours who didn't bother me."

Another neighbour said Mr Otimi would give "the odd wave" and they were the sort of people who liked to keep to themselves and valued privacy.

The police said post-mortem examinations had indicated that the couple - aged 41 and 43 - had died accidentally. The case had been referred to the coroner.

Officers said the tragedy could have been prevented and warned people to be aware of the dangers of using gas equipment.

Last September, Derek Hamilton and Martin Van Rensburg died after they took a portable charcoal barbecue into their holiday cabin to keep warm.

The men were at a motor camp at Ruapuke, near Raglan. A third man, Jayson Basson, was found on the floor of the cabin, barely alive.

Autopsies showed that Mr Hamilton and Mr Van Rensburg died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Yesterday, Detective Senior Sergeant Keith Borrell stressed products such as patio gas heaters and gas barbecues were for outdoor use only.

"I would like to take the opportunity to raise people's awareness of the dangers of having outdoor equipment - such as gas patio heaters and gas barbecues - inside the home, as it may well turn out that such equipment caused this tragedy."

- additional reporting by NZPA