WAKEFIELD, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) – The four victims found dead Christmas Day of apparent carbon monoxide poisoning have been identified.

In a news release on Wednesday New Hampshire State Police said that officers with the Wakefield Police Department responded to a residence on Province Lake Road shortly before 4:30 Wednesday afternoon and found four adults dead inside of the home.

An investigation got underway and autopsies were scheduled to be performed on Tuesday but police believed carbon monoxide poisoning was the cause.

In an update late Friday morning State Police identified the victims as a family of four; Matthew Goldstein, 52, and Lyla Goldstein, 54, along with their two adult daughters Valerie Goldstein, 22, and Violet Goldstein, 19, all of Newton, Massachusetts.

Matthew Goldstein’s cause of death has been confirmed as carbon monoxide poisoning. The autopsy results for the rest of the family are still pending.

The Goldstein’s family requested a welfare check when they didn’t show up for a holiday gathering, leading to the discovery of their deaths.

Investigations to determine the cause of the suspected carbon monoxide leak remain ongoing and investigators are continuing to inspect the homes gas heating system. Police say no working carbon monoxide alarms have been found in the home.

The New Hampshire Fire Marshal’s office along with the National Fire Protection Association, and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission offered a handful of tips for making sure the carbon monoxide alarms are maintained and working properly:

  • Install and maintain carbon monoxide alarms in a central location outside each separate sleeping area, on every level of the home, and in other locations as required by laws, codes, or standards
  • If you have combination smoke/carbon monoxide alarms, follow the directions for smoke alarm installation
  • Test carbon monoxide alarms once a month and replace them if they fail to respond correctly when tested
  • Replace the carbon monoxide alarms according to manufacturer’s instructions or when the end of life signal sounds
  • Know the difference between the sound of the carbon monoxide alarm and the smoke alarm, and each alarms low battery signals. If the audible low battery signal sounds, replace the batteries or replace the device
  • Carbon monoxide alarms are not substitutes for smoke alarms, and vice versa. Know the difference.

Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can cause serious illness and death at high levels. For more information on the risks and symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning visit the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office website.

“The news in Wakefield, NH is tragic anytime of year but really hits a little harder around Christmas,” said Gregory Seymour, Deputy Chief of the Keene Fire Department. “Carbon monoxide incidents are obviously more prominent in the winter because buildings are closed and able to trap carbon monoxide gases more readily.”

Seymour said the best way to prevent carbon monoxide from building up in your home is to have your gas appliances serviced annually, ensure that generators and vehicles are running outside and away from the home, and that chimneys and wood stoves are cleaned and burning freely.

“If the detectors sound, you have to trust that they are real emergencies,” Seymour said. “Please call 911 immediately and evacuate the home. Please resist the urge to open windows and doors and ventilate the home. Leaving the home closed will give the fire department the best chance of quickly determining the cause of the carbon monoxide and rendering your home safe.”

Seymour said that children, elderly, and those with heart conditions and respiratory problems are more prone to symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. Early symptoms of exposure include headache, nausea, and shortness of breath. Symptoms of moderate exposure can include chest pain, dizziness and weakness, fainting, mental confusion, severe headache, nausea, and vomiting.

This article was updated to include information from the Keene Fire Department.