Police: Los Gatos Man Killed by Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Los Gatos resident Gary F. Trovinger's Oct. 26 death in his Tahoe Donner subdivision home in the town of Truckee was caused by carbon monoxide poisoning, police officials said.  

Trovinger, 57, and friend Albert Senzatimore, 69, of San Jose, were found dead by Truckee police officers dispatched to the home to do a welfare check.

The deadly gas was so strong when officers entered the single-family residence that they started to suffer respiratory issues and left the premises, Truckee police said.

Truckee Fire District personnel were then dispatched to the property and determined that the house had very high levels of carbon monoxide inside it.

The house was vented to make it safe to enter and complete an investigation into the cause of the deaths, Truckee police added.

Truckee police detectives and a fire investigator later confirmed that the source of the carbon monoxide was from the house's heater, police indicated.

The investigation revealed that Trovinger, who owned the home, had contracted to have a roll-up door installed in the mechanical room space where the home's heater was located.

When the heater was turned on by the residents after the work was performed, the house filled with carbon monoxide ultimately killing them.

Truckee police, working with the Town of Truckee Building Department, determined the contractor was working without a building permit or engineered and approved plans, they said.

Officials are continuing the investigation into the deaths and expect to send the case to Nevada County District Attorney’s Office for review when the investigation is complete.

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