VINITA, Jan. 27—Three persons were found dead in a Vinita
home about noon Wednesday. Police officers said they died of
asphyxiation.
They were identified as Mrs. Effie Bennett, 69, in whose
home the bodies were found; Archie Roland Massengale, 51, of
Ontario, Ore., and his wife, Mrs. Edith Massengale, about
49, a sister of Mrs. Bennett.
Craig county attorney Louis Thomas said an investigation
showed the deaths were accidental. A Vinita physician said
the three had been dead about two hours.
The victims were discovered by Mrs. Dick Nelson, of Vinita,
Mrs. Bennett’s daughter. Mrs. Bennett recently had moved
into the new four room house and the Massengales had been
visiting her since Sunday.
Thomas said the gas in the living room stove was turned on,
but there was no flame. The pilot light, however, was
burning. Thomas expressed surprise that the house had not
“blown up.”
From The Oklahoma, 1/28/1954
Donated by:
Emily Jordan
