Lexi and Sean Munroe of Franklin,Mass. suffocated to death after locking themselves in hope chest
Pictured: Brother, 8, and sister, 7, suffocated after locking themselves in previously recalled trunk while playing at home
- The siblings accidentally locked themselves in the trunk - which can only be opened from the outside
- Family members could not hear their cries for help over a loud television
- The children are believed to have been trapped in a previously recalled chest - the recall was issued to replace the self-latching locks
- The deaths are believed to be an accident
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Two young children tragically died Monday morning after being found Sunday night locked in a hope chest.
Lexi, 8, and Sean Munroe, 7, both of Franklin, Mass., are believed to have been playing inside the previously recalled chest around 8 p.m. near where multiple family members watched a television too loud to hear their cries for help - were tragically unaware of the children’s suffering until it was too late.
Lane Furniture, maker of the chest, issued a recall in 1996 for 12million similar chests to replace locks that automatically latched when closed, according to the Boston Globe.
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Tragedy: Lexi (left) and Sean Munroe both died Monday morning after suffocating in a chest made by Lane Furniture
Family tragedy: Lexi and Sean Munroe fell victim to a lock that previously prompted a recall
Family members were home at the time of the incident, Franklin County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson David Traub said in a statement.
‘Investigation to this point indicates that the children were found by family members shortly before 8 p.m. enclosed together in a hope chest fashioned with a lid that could only be released from the outside, and not opened from within,’ he wrote.
‘Several family members were home at the time of the incident; the hope chest was in relatively close proximity to a television that was apparently on with a substantial volume at the time.’
Better times: Lexi, Sean and another sibling smile for the camera on Christmas
Too soon: Lexi Munroe lying on father Sean Munroe's stomach only days after she was born
Shattered: Only memories are left of young Sean, pictured here with father Sean
Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey told the Globe that he wasn't exactly sure which model the chest was, but said Lane Furniture recalled two models - 'Lane' and 'Virginia Maid' - to replace the self-latching locks.
The Munroe's were not chest's original owner, they bought it used more than a dozen years ago, Mr Morrissey added.
'It’s exact age and vintage is unknown at this time,' said Mr Morrissey, 'It has some type of locking mechanism that did not have the ability to be unlocked from the inside.'
The recalled chests were made between 1912 and 1987, he noted. A recall notice from 2000 showed at least one other death and two near fatalities attributed to the killer chests.
Killer chest: This Lane Furniture chest is reportedly the one that suffocated the young children, it is responsible for at least one other death, according to a recall notice in 2000
Sad night: A Massachusetts family is grieving after two children younger than 10-years-old were found Sunday night unresponsive in a hope chest - they died Monday morning
A losing battle: Ambulances rushed the not breathing children to local hospitals, but doctors were unable to save their lives
Investigation: Officers removed a large object from the Franklin home late last night
Neighbor Mary Delfino told the Boston Globe the children were the youngest of five siblings.
A search of online records shows the family has one son and four daughters – the oldest of which Ms Delfino said is in junior high school.
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ShareShe said the children were rushed inside when police and ambulance arrived at the suburban home. ‘They were in bad shape… crying and really sad,’ she added.
Another neighbor told WHDH the seriousness of the situation was made apparent by the number of first responders on the scene last night.
Landlord Joe Proia was shocked over the loss.
'It’s just the saddest thing,’ he told the Globe. 'The kids are great. It’s just terribly painful.’
Neighbor Dawn Powers told the Globe she was sad her daughter lost a good friend.
'They were just wonderful kids. I can’t believe they are gone,' she lamented. 'It’s just absolutely tragic. I don’t know how the family will be able to get through this.'
Devastated: The scene outside the large family's home has returned to normal, but the grieving has just begun on the inside
‘All the fireman, those type of guys, they were all here,’ said Harold Alger. ‘They pulledin on the road over here and went in the house… they were here for I don’t know how many hours.’
Both the Franklin Police Department and Massachusetts State Police are investigating the deaths, but are operating under the assumption they are an accident, Mr Traub explained.
The medical examiner’s office will perform autopsies before confirming the cause of death, he added.
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