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December 20, 2002
LAKE WORTH -- A couple and their son who likely died of carbon monoxide poisoning were using a gasoline-fueled generator to power their home because Florida Power & Light had shut off the electricity, authorities said.
Marco Antonio Sosa, 52, Alicia Matute, 50, and their son Marlon Sosa, 13, were found late Tuesday.
Sheriff's investigators found the generator running in a closed garage and said the carbon monoxide level in the house was at the highest possible reading.
Autopsy results were pending.
The owner of the home, Jovany Martinez, 24, said the three victims came to the United States from Honduras about two years ago. Martinez is married to a daughter of the dead couple.
He said Florida Power & Light shut off electrical service because of a disputed bill.
"We always paid about $40 or $50 per month for electricity," Martinez said. "Then a few weeks ago this bill suddenly came for $2,008. They said there had been some kind of accounting error."
FP&L spokeswoman Kathy Scott said the company could not talk about individual customers, citing confidentiality issues. Scott said it was possible the family was underbilled because meter readers could not access the meter.