AUBURN, Calif., Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Three young women working at a California ski resort were found dead in a parked car, apparently from carbon monoxide poisoning.
A security guard at the Squaw Valley resort discovered the car early Tuesday afternoon, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The engine was still running, and the car was covered by about a foot of snow.
Police identified two of the women as Lacey Louann Sutton, 22, and Sara Alice McCullah, 21, close friends from Marysville, Calif. The third was a 17-year-old from Loma Rica.
Investigators said the women may have been sitting in the car when the exhaust pipe got blocked, sending carbon monoxide into the vehicle. They said they do not appear to have been drinking or using drugs.
Carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless, and victims often become unconscious quickly.
"They probably just got bored, they had been so excited waiting for the snow," said Cindy Walczak, McCullah's mother. "I'm sure they just fell asleep watching the snow. When they found out Squaw Valley was opening, they were up in the heavens."
