A man and woman who died at home in the Aroostook County town of Wade are believed to have succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Brian Marchant, 64, and Laurie Ridgway, 56, were found dead during a welfare check on Tuesday at the home where they lived together on Wade Road.
Investigators from the state fire marshal’s office determined that the furnace exhaust pipe inside the home had been improperly installed and had become disconnected, causing the fumes to vent directly into the home.
The state medical examiner’s office will conduct examinations to determine the official cause of death, but the fire marshal’s office said evidence suggests they died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Correction: An earlier version of this report misspelled Brian Marchant’s last name.