Autopsy: Boy overcome by carbon monoxide at Lake Mead

By Kyle B. Hansen

Published Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009 | 2:35 p.m.

Updated Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009 | 4:38 p.m.

The 11-year-old boy who died Thursday night while boating with his parents on Lake Mead died from carbon monoxide asphyxiation, the National Park Service said Saturday.

The park service initially announced that the boy drowned, but an autopsy performed Friday by the Clark County Coroner’s Office concluded that the primary cause of death was carbon monoxide asphyxiation with drowning as a contributing factor, according to park service spokesman Andrew Munoz.

The boy was with his parents and one sibling on a rented Seven Crown Resorts houseboat in Echo Bay.

Park service rangers received a call about 8:45 p.m. Thursday that a boy had been found under the houseboat.

It took rangers two hours using helicopters from Metro Police and Mercy Air to find the boat in the dark, Munoz said.

The boy, who has not been identified, was flown to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The park service will be working with investigators from the Coast Guard to determine the source of the carbon monoxide, Munoz said.

Boat engines produce the dangerous carbon monoxide, according to Coast Guard’s boating safety Web site. It can also be produced on a boat by gas generators, cooking ranges and space and water heaters.