A Lake Orion man is dead and his mother is in critical condition from unknown causes after they were discovered in a home in the Village of Lake Orion.

A Lake Orion Police Department Code Enforcement Officer found the victims after the officer went to check on a home that had tall grass and weeds around 1 p.m. May 28, said Lake Orion Police Chief Jerry Narsh in a news release to The Lake Orion Review.

Police did not release the address of the home or the identity of the victims.

The officer knocked on the front door of the home to speak with the homeowner about the conditions, Narsh said.

“Observing considerable mail in the mailbox, he went to a rear door to knock and investigate. The officer saw what appeared to be a deceased male inside the landing by the back door,” said Narsh, adding that the front and rear doors were locked from the inside.

Additional Lake Orion police officers and Orion Township Fire Department personnel arrived and entered the home where officers found a 73-year-old female on the floor near the front door, alive but unconscious, Narsh said.

Officers and firefighters immediately removed the woman to safety and transported her to an area hospital.

As officers moved to the rear of the home to check on the man, they saw a dead dog on the kitchen floor.

“Fearing possible carbon monoxide poisoning, the officers retreated until fire department personnel checked the home with a meter. Finding none, the officers checked on the 47-year-old male, who was obviously deceased,” Narsh said.

The victims were identified as mother and son who both reside in the home.

“There is no police history of family trouble or disturbances at the residence,” Narsh said. “There were no signs of violence or trauma to the victims or the animal, and no signs of damage of struggle inside the home.”

Emergency personnel on scene requested additional testing equipment from the Oakland County Hazmat team, which arrived and cleared the house for other toxic gasses or fumes.

Lake Orion police investigators are awaiting results of the autopsy and toxicology report on the deceased male. The woman is in critical but stable condition. She was unable to speak with investigators due to her condition, Narsh said.

The estimated date of death on the male victim was placed at about three days prior. Investigators are gathering information from medical reports on the female victim, Narsh said.

Investigators have submitted the dog to a testing facility for analysis to determine cause and date of death.

“Officials have determined there is not a hazard inside the home and there is no health risk to area homes or persons,” Narsh said.

Investigators the victims’ family members, who are assisting with additional information until a cause and manner of death is determined. – J.N.