Family and Their Dogs Found Dead After Power Shutoff

A North Carolina family’s financial struggle may have ended in unimaginable tragedy after three relatives and their dogs were found dead inside a mobile home days after their electricity was reportedly disconnected.

Police discovered married couple Tracey and Kenny Swann and their adopted daughter, 20-year-old Mahala Scurlock, inside their home at the Kingsway Mobile Home Park in Rocky Mount on Monday, Aug. 3.

All three were dead. The family’s three dogs were also found deceased inside the residence.

“We’re looking at every angle,” Rocky Mount Police Chief Martin McCoy Sr. told WRAL as investigators worked to determine exactly what happened.

Officers arrived at the home on King Charles Court at approximately 10:45 a.m. while conducting a welfare check.

Authorities are now investigating whether a generator had been operating inside the residence, potentially causing a deadly buildup of carbon monoxide. The family’s official causes of death have not yet been released, and police reportedly do not suspect foul play.

The grim discovery came after relatives said the family’s electricity had recently been shut off because of an unpaid utility balance.

Tracey’s daughter, Krista Crisp, told WRAL that the bill had climbed to more than $2,000 and claimed the city would not accept a partial payment.

Neighbor Demetrius Wright said Kenny had spoken to him about the crushing bill and had reportedly managed to pay $1,000.

“He went down there, and they had him pay $1,000, so he paid it,” Wright told WNCN. “I thought that they would turn the lights back on for consideration, but they didn’t do it.”

According to Wright, the family was left desperately searching for another way to keep the home cool during the summer heat.

“It forced him to go to his mom’s house and grab a generator to keep the house cool,” he said.

Crisp began fearing something was terribly wrong after her mother failed to appear for a planned outing on Saturday, Aug. 1.

Calls reportedly went unanswered, and a relative who knocked at the mobile home received no response.

When the relative returned on Monday, she allegedly made a chilling statement to Crisp.

“I smell death,” she reportedly said.

The family’s grieving son, 24-year-old Kenyan Patterson, said he had no idea his parents were facing such serious financial hardship.

“Everybody goes through something, and people just need help, even though they might not call out for it,” Patterson told WNCN, describing his parents as hardworking and generous.

“It’s important to check in and make sure,” he added. “Sometimes people want to believe they can do it on their own, but they really can’t.”

The deaths remain under investigation as officials await findings from the medical examiner and continue examining whether carbon monoxide exposure played a role.