No Threads Link 7 Who Died In Sleep

Seven Canyon County residents who died in their sleep have no common threads linking them together, a team of national and local health experts says.

“There is no threat to public safety at this time,” said Dr. Steven Yoon, an epidemiologist from the federal Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. “We are unable to find evidence of common infectious or toxic exposure that could link the victims.”

The Canyon County coroner and pathologist will continue to investigate the individual circumstances around the deaths.

Yoon, as well as a forensic pathologist from Seattle, joined local authorities interviewing families of the victims.

They also checked all records pertaining to the deaths and autopsy results.

Earlier, local physicians had pointed to clostridial bacteria infection as the most likely reason.

The bacteria can grow on food or in the stomach and rapidly reproduces at room temperature. It produces a number of different toxins that can be fatal.