SYLVAN BEACH, NY -- State Police are investigating a carbon monoxide poisoning that claimed the life of a Central Square woman and sent a Bridgeport man to the hospital.
According to state police, members from the Sylvan Beach Fire Department discovered a man and a woman on a boat that was docked along the Erie Canal, around 2:30 p.m. They were located by friends who went looking for them after the female subject did not show up for work.
Blair M. Dodge, 34, from Central Square, was pronounced dead at the scene. She has been transported to the Onondaga County Medical Examiner's Office and is scheduled for an autopsy to determine the official cause of death.
William R. Lashomb, 36, from Bridgeport, was unconscious and initially transported to Oneida Hospital. He was airlifted to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse and is listed in critical condition.
State police say the initial investigation indicates that the couple was staying on the boat overnight and were exposed to carbon monoxide.
Investigators are attempting to determine if the carbon monoxide came from the boat engine or a portable space heater, which was located on the boat. There were no suspicious circumstances and no trauma to either of the victims. The investigation is continuing.
