Questions about the circumstances surrounding the deaths of two Shamokin-area residents earlier this week may forever go unanswered.
Coal Township Detective Jeffrey Brennan said a final report regarding the deaths of David M. "Diggy" Dascani, 38, and Kelley Gusick, 24, will be made once results from toxicology tests are received in about eight to 10 weeks.
What many people are asking is how and why Dascani's Jeep Wrangler got into Shamokin Creek along Big Mountain Road in the first place, and why neither Dascani nor Gusick got out before carbon monoxide filled the vehicle's cabin and took their lives.
"We don't know what happened once they got into the water," Brennan said Thursday. "We're not sure why the vehicle was where it was and we're not sure we'll ever know."
Dascani and Gusick went on a mountain ride in the early morning hours Monday. The Jeep did not roll into the creek. It was found upright and partially submerged in 3 to 4 feet of water Tuesday afternoon, its occupants already deceased.
James F. Kelley, Northumberland County coroner, said Thursday that an autopsy wouldn't be performed on either body as testing already has clearly shown carbon monoxide poisoning is to blame for Dascani's and Gusick's deaths, which he ruled were accidental and not suspicious.
He said carbon monoxide poisoning in a small, confined area such as the inside of a vehicle can occur quickly.
"It only takes minutes," Kelley said. "It puts you to sleep, then into a coma, then death."
Like many, Kelley isn't sure how exactly the Jeep got into the creek. However, he said he has heard that people have been known to drive 4x4s through the creek channel. He said he was told there is a spot where a vehicle could drive into and out of the creek in the Big Mountain area.
Kelley wondered if Dascani had missed a turn to get out of the creek and ended up getting stuck.
If the Jeep was stuck and Dascani tried to drive back and forth to get it out, revving the engine would have created more combustion, he said. With the vehicle's exhaust system submerged in water, all of the resulting carbon monoxide gas would have entered the passenger cabin.
"It's a very unfortunate accident," Kelley said.