Man, woman found dead in boat with high CO levels in Portage

A man and a woman were found dead in a boat with elevated carbon monoxide levels late Friday in northwest Indiana.

Authorities were called at 11:16 p.m. to a boat, The Paradox, docked at Marina Shores in the 6100 block of Burns Waterway in Portage, Indiana, according to a statement from the Porter County coroner’s office. The mother of 44-year-old Michael S. McKinney had been searching for her son when she found him and 38-year-old Jennifer Ellenberger unresponsive in the boat’s cabin.

McKinney, of Wanatah, Indiana; and Ellenberger, who lived in Crown Point, Indiana, were both pronounced dead at the scene, the coroner’s office said. The carbon monoxide levels inside the boat were found to be “toxic.”

There were “no indications of any foul play,” but the investigation was ongoing Saturday morning, the coroner’s office said. The Portage police and fire departments and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources were investigating.