A Clayton father has passed away along with his infant son from what appears to be monoxide carbon intoxication inside their parked vehicle in the early hours of November 14.
26-year-old Christopher Gage McKinzie and his 10-month-old Sawyer were pronounced dead at the scene while McKinzie’s girlfriend Kortnie Payne was still breathing inside the car.
Authorities said that the couple was working at a waffle house for night shifts and fell asleep with the baby inside the car, parked outside their workplace.
McKinzie was aware of the problem in his car and sought parts to fix it prior to the tragedy.
“Checking the exhaust system on the car, we were figuring that more than likely, it was carbon monoxide,” Investigator Richard Gandy said.
“The car was found with the switch on but it wasn’t running.”
Payne was hospitalized in critical condition but her current state is not known.
