North Carolina: Brother and sister found dead in Willard, family says they had flu-like symptoms - contact with swine reported

[Ronan Kelly]

Brother and sister found dead in Willard, family says they died from the flu
Submitted by Cliff Pyron on Sun, 05/06/2012 - 5:59pm.


PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) -- Pender County Sheriff's deputies are investigating the deaths of a brother and sister from Willard. Their bodies were found off Highway 11 in Pender County Saturday evening.

Deputies responded to a call from family members to find 63-year-old Warren Gore and 65-year-old Annie Gore, dead in their homes at 9085 and 9065 Highway 11.

Family members told WWAY off camera that they died from a case of the flu , a major concern for neighbors and friends.
...

http://www.wwaytv3.com/2012/05/06/brother-and-sister-found-dead-willard-family-says-they-died-from-the-flu

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Re: North Carolina: Brother and sister found dead in Willard, family says they died from the flu

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20120505/ARTICLES/120429812/1177?Title=Siblings-found-dead-in-Pender-County

Siblings found dead in Pender County
Published: Saturday, May 5, 2012 at 12:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, May 5, 2012 at 8:07 p.m.
A brother and sister who lived next-door to each other were found dead in their homes in Pender County on Saturday.

Warren Gore, 66, of 9085 N.C. 11 in Willard, and his sister, Annie Gore, 65, of 9065 N.C. 11, were found about 4:30 p.m. Saturday by family members in their respective residences, said Chief Deputy Keith Hinkle of the Pender County Sheriff's Office.

Family members said that "both had been complaining since the first of the week about not feeling well," Hinkle said.

An autopsy is scheduled for next week and the case is under investigation, Hinkle said.

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Re: North Carolina: Brother and sister found dead in Willard, family says they died from the flu

Hat-tip Pixie. Oooh. Contact with animals, including swine...

http://www.wsfx.com/story/18155631/body-recovered-in-pender-co

Family wants answers after siblings found dead in separate houses
Posted: May 05, 2012 7:33 PM EDT
Updated: May 07, 2012 11:15 AM EDT
By: WECT Staff - email

Annie Gore (pictured) and her brother Warren were found dead in their homes Saturday afternoon.

The two siblings lived next door to each other.

Annie Gore and her daughter Quintelia West.WILLARD, NC (WECT) - Annie and Warren Gore's family and neighbors said they still have many unanswered questions about how their loved ones died.

Annie's only daughter Quintelia West lives about a half-mile away from her mother's house. In this difficult time, she's looking for answers.

"I just want to get to the bottom of it and find out what really happened to my mother," she said. "I don't understand. I'm not angry, I just want some answers."

Siblings Warren and Annie Gore lived next door to each other and they were each found dead in their homes in Willard Saturday afternoon. The two lived at 9065 Highway 11 and 9085 Highway 11 in Pender County.

Quintelia said her mother had flu-like symptoms for about a week leading up to her death. During that time, Quintelia said her mother was taking her brother to work at a nearby hog farm. She planned on going to the doctor the day after she died.

"It looked like she had this bad case of flu or something and she said that she had caught it from my uncle," Quintelia said.

more at above link....

[Treyfish]

Re: North Carolina: Brother and sister found dead in Willard, family says they had flu-like symptoms - contact with swine reported

Autopsies today for brother and sister found dead in Pender

<!--POST META-->Monday, <TIME class=entry-date datetime="2012-05-07T09:07:37+00:00" pubdate="">May 7, 2012</TIME> at 9:07 by F. T. Norton
<!-- .entry-meta -->
<!--END GRAPHICAL HEADER--></HEADER><!-- .entry-header -->Autopsies are scheduled Monday for a Pender County brother and sister who were both found dead in their homes on Saturday.
Pender County sheriff?s Capt. Jamie Ezzell said there were no signs of foul play in the deaths of Warren Gore, 66, and Annie Gore, 65, found dead in their homes at 9085 and 9065 N.C. 11 in Willard. The siblings were neighbors.
Ezzell said family members reported the two complained last week of ?feeling under the weather.?
He said the investigation is ongoing.http://yellowtape.blogs.starnewsonli...ead-in-pender/

[alert]

Re: North Carolina: Brother and sister found dead in Willard, family says they had flu-like symptoms - contact with swine reported

A few thoughts, before we all hit the panic button:

Obviously, what would be of most concern here is the potential of exposure to a swine (or even avian) influenza virus other than what is currently circulating in the human population. Pigs are known to be capable of infection with avian, swine, and human influenza viruses, and are potential reassortment vehicles. IMO, H3N2v does not seem to fit the bill here, as there has never been a confirmed human fatality due to this virus, and the age group here is all wrong.

We don't know that this is actually a respiratory illness. All we know is that it is flu-like enough to make the family think it was the flu (at least until the victims died). I would think that E. coli and Listeria would both be flu-like enough to meet this requirement, and both of them might be found at a hog farm in the United States. Keep in mind that both fatalities have likely swine contact, as the woman was driving her brother to work repeatedly.

Even if this is a respiratory illness, it doesn't have to be influenza. Working at a hog farm in anywhere in North America does produce at least some risk of several different unusual infections, including hantavirus infection due to inhalation of infected rodent droppings.

Of course, there is also some chance that the man's occupation is a red herring, and this is another unfortunate seasonal flu fatality cluster as reported two months ago in Maryland:

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=183757,

although given the swine contact this time, I would think officials would look closely at the virus if it turns out to be Influenza A.

[Giuseppe]

Re: North Carolina: Brother and sister found dead in Willard, family says they had flu-like symptoms - contact with swine reported

Carbon monoxyde inhalation may be the culprit, as well as supra cited infectious agents.

Usually, a malfunction in cooking appliances may cause release of CO for several days, with subacute intoxication. The cumulative effect then leads to more serious consequences.

Subacute CO intoxication causes flu-like illness.

[JimO]

Re: North Carolina: Brother and sister found dead in Willard, family says they had flu-like symptoms - contact with swine reported

It would seem to be a strange coincidence if both died of CO inhalation since they lived in separate homes.

Carbon monoxyde inhalation may be the culprit, as well as supra cited infectious agents.

Usually, a malfunction in cooking appliances may cause release of CO for several days, with subacute intoxication. The cumulative effect then leads to more serious consequences.

Subacute CO intoxication causes flu-like illness.

[alert]

Re: North Carolina: Brother and sister found dead in Willard, family says they had flu-like symptoms - contact with swine reported

http://www.wwaytv3.com/2012/05/07/first-3-woman-thinks-hog-farm-may-have-contributed-to-death-of-mother-uncle

FIRST ON 3: Woman thinks hog farm may have contributed to death of mother, uncle
Submitted by Cliff Pyron on Mon, 05/07/2012 - 3:57pm.

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) -- A Pender County family is searching for answers after the death of a brother and sister. Annie and Warren Gore were found dead in their homes in Willard Saturday after complaining about flu-like symptoms. Relatives say they might know where the disease came from.

"It's hard to believe that this could happen," Quintella West said.

West and her family are looking for answers. West, the only child of the late Annie Gore, says her mom was feeling sick Wednesday. Annie and her brother and next-door neighbor Warren were found dead just a few days later. West says her mother had been dead a few days.

"It's flu? This was too quick for a flu," West said. "It's not good, and I just want answers to know what happened to my mother."

West says she doesn't want to jump to conclusions, but she did make the connection that her mother began getting sick after taking her uncle to work every day at a hog farm in Sampson County.

"She said every time she took him to work she felt worse and worse," West said. "She had to ride in his truck one day, and she says she really, really felt bad."

After learning more about the background of the death investigation we called the Pender County Health Department. They said they have done preliminary work on the case, and that no one else is sick that works at the farm or who lives near the gores.

[snip]

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Re: North Carolina: Brother and sister found dead in Willard, family says they had flu-like symptoms - contact with swine reported

http://yellowtape.blogs.starnewsonline.com/18784/autopsies-today-for-brother-and-sister-found-dead-in-pender/

UPDATE: Autopsy fails to pinpoint cause of death for brother and sister
Monday, May 7, 2012 at 9:07 by F. T. Norton Medical examiners were unable to pinpoint what killed a brother and sister found dead in their respective homes in Pender County over the weekend, but more studies will be conducted in an effort to determine how they died, a detective investigating the case said Monday.

The bodies of Warren Gore, 66, and his sister, Annie Gore, 65, were found Saturday in their homes at 9085 and 9065 N.C. 11 in Willard. They had been dead for several days.

Although an autopsy conducted Monday on the siblings was inconclusive, Detective D.L. Wells, an investigator with the Pender County Sheriff?s Office, said toxicology tests might shed more light on the cause of their deaths.

?We can?t rule out foul play. But based on what we know right this minute, it appears to be a medical issue,? Wells said. ?But we won?t know for sure until? the toxicology results return.

Neither of the siblings had obvious signs of trauma. Family members told detectives the two complained of feeling ill last week.

?From what the family told us, we believe they were sick, but we don?t know what they were sick from,? Wells said, acknowledging that the situation was ?pretty strange.? ?You ordinarily don?t have two people, relatives living side-by-side, and both of them die apparently really close to one another,? he said.

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Re: North Carolina: Brother and sister found dead in Willard, family says they had flu-like symptoms - contact with swine reported

I'm thinking the autopsy would have shown if there were overwhelming respiratory damage caused by pneumonia or influenza. So this may be something else:

http://www.wect.com/story/18155631/pender-sheriffs-office-autopsy-shows-nothing-suspicious

Pender Sheriff's Office: autopsy shows nothing suspicious
Posted: May 05, 2012 7:33 PM EDT
Updated: May 07, 2012 5:05 PM EDT
By: WECT Staff - email

Annie Gore (pictured) and her brother Warren were found dead in their homes Saturday afternoon.

The two siblings lived next door to each other.

Annie Gore and her daughter Quintelia West.WILLARD, NC (WECT) - Officials with the Pender Co. Sheriff's Office say the autopsy shows nothing suspicious in regards to a brother and sister who died in two separate houses over the weekend.

[snip]

According to Carolyn Moser with the Pender County Health Department, no one else in the community had been diagnosed with the flu. Investigators checked the hog farm, but no one there was complaining of flu-like symptoms either.

[snip]

The incident is still under investigation and health officials are looking at the possibility of a food borne illness.

[JimO]

Re: North Carolina: Brother and sister found dead in Willard, family says they had flu-like symptoms - contact with swine reported

I would imagine that something like bacterial meningitis would also have been noted in an autopsy. Since they lived in different homes, but had regular contact, it seems logical that it should be an infectious disease.

I'm thinking the autopsy would have shown if there were overwhelming respiratory damage caused by pneumonia or influenza. So this may be something else:

http://www.wect.com/story/18155631/pender-sheriffs-office-autopsy-shows-nothing-suspicious

Pender Sheriff's Office: autopsy shows nothing suspicious
Posted: May 05, 2012 7:33 PM EDT
Updated: May 07, 2012 5:05 PM EDT
By: WECT Staff - email

Annie Gore (pictured) and her brother Warren were found dead in their homes Saturday afternoon.

The two siblings lived next door to each other.

Annie Gore and her daughter Quintelia West.WILLARD, NC (WECT) - Officials with the Pender Co. Sheriff's Office say the autopsy shows nothing suspicious in regards to a brother and sister who died in two separate houses over the weekend.

[snip]

According to Carolyn Moser with the Pender County Health Department, no one else in the community had been diagnosed with the flu. Investigators checked the hog farm, but no one there was complaining of flu-like symptoms either.

[snip]

The incident is still under investigation and health officials are looking at the possibility of a food borne illness.

[alert]

Re: North Carolina: Brother and sister found dead in Willard, family says they had flu-like symptoms - contact with swine reported

I would imagine that something like bacterial meningitis would also have been noted in an autopsy. Since they lived in different homes, but had regular contact, it seems logical that it should be an infectious disease.

I think I agree. If there had been a localized focus of infection (brain, lungs, liver, etc.) an autopsy would have found it. I would think that fatal E. coli infections would show damage to the kidneys as well.

We might also have to reconsider our dismissal of carbon monoxide. The two homes were next to each other. If there had been a leak in, say, the garage of one of them, it might have affected both houses. And I don't know whether it would show up in an autopsy several days after death.

The lack of anyone else being ill at this point probably rules out person-to-person contagion.

[Emily]

Re: North Carolina: Brother and sister found dead in Willard, family says they had flu-like symptoms - contact with swine reported

Regarding the carbon monoxide possibility, these 2 family members could have been in the habit of spending free time together, perhaps one was cooking most meals for the other. So both could have gotten some significant low level CO exposure if only one house had a problem, in spite of living in separate homes.

I have no idea if this could be a fatal level of exposure for both siblings. Being siblings who spent a lot of time together, they could share both genetic and environmental vulnerability to infectious and toxic agents.

But since the sister said that driving to the work site made her feel worse, I'm leaning away from a CO problem in either house being an issue. You would think getting away from the house would make someone feel better or at least have no impact, not make someone feel worse if CO at home were the case.

Possibly the truck had an exhaust leak, or the siblings were susceptible to an environmental issue at the farm. The fact that workers at the farm are not complaining does not mean much at this point.

Maybe a type of influenza and genetic/environmental factors are involved?

[alert]

Re: North Carolina: Brother and sister found dead in Willard, family says they had flu-like symptoms - contact with swine reported

I just wish we had some article that told us what "flu-like symptoms" meant here. That term can mean different things to different people. Fever? Headache? Coughing? Vomitting? Diarrhea? That's really way too broad a range to suggest a specific diagnosis.

Further muddying any attempts at diagnosis is the fact that these two did not present at a hospital like the Maryland cluster. Not only did they die at home, their bodies may have decomposed for several days before recognition.

[Emily]

Re: North Carolina: Brother and sister found dead in Willard, family says they had flu-like symptoms - contact with swine reported

I'd really like to see this explained since the video interview with a neighbor and friend of the victims conveyed her concern that this might be infectious. An explanation would hopefully set her mind at ease. The passage of time might do this, too, but that won't help prevent future deaths like this. Even if a faulty exhaust system in the truck would turn out to be the problem, knowing that could inspire people to have their vehicles checked out.