Farmers and founders of Frinj Coffee, John "Jay" Ruskey and Kristen Ruskey, were found dead at a friend's home. A new lawsuit filed by their children shed light on grisly details surrounding the couple's deaths.
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The prominent Santa Barbara farming couple was found dead at their friends' home in Cambria, California, on Feb. 8, according to The New York Post, citing the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office. Authorities ruled their deaths accidental, noting they died "of toxic effects of carbon monoxide and ethanol." According to PEOPLE, authorities discovered a disconnected carbon monoxide and smoke detector in the couple's room.
Now, The Post reports that the Ruskeys' 3 children, who range in age from 19 to 16, are suing the homeowners, Ben and Robin Korman, and water heater manufacturer Navien Inc. The court documents obtained by the outlet reveal harrowing details leading up to the couple's deaths. John "Jay" fell severely ill, reportedly vomiting and losing control of his bowels. The couple also reportedly called 911just hours before they died.
The Lawsuit Alleges a Faulty Water Heater May Be the Cause of the Couple's Reported Fatal Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
The documents detail that on Feb. 7, the farming couple attended a birthday party thrown by the Kormans at their Cambria home. 50 to 60 other people reportedly attended. Jay and Kristen Ruskey opted to spend the night as the party wound down, turning in at around 2 am in the Kormans ' guest room. The suit alleges the home's water heater kept turning on through the evening to accommodate the dozens of guests.
The suit maintains that each time the water heater kicked on, "it discharged carbon monoxide through the failed Subject Venting System into the Laundry Room and, through the connecting door, into the Guest Bedroom."
The lawsuit goes on to allege that the smoke and carbon monoxide detector near or inside the guest room "had been disconnected from its electrical wiring and was inoperable." The lawsuit goes on to claim that the homeowners knew the devices were disconnected and that "no alarm ever sounded."
Kristen Ruskey Called 911 Hours Before Her Death
Kristen called 911 just after 4:30 am after growing concerned about her husband, as the lawsuit goes on to detail. Once first responders arrived, they reportedly were told by Kristen that Jay had grown ill after he consumed chocolate laced with psychedelic mushrooms earlier that evening. Partygoers reportedly could hear Jay vomiting and yelling.
However, Jay declined medical attention, and the paramedics left the home.
The lawsuit goes on to claim that Jay "was vomiting, exhibited seizure-like activity. [He] had lost control of his bowels while in bed." It alleges that these are all signs of acute carbon monoxide poisoning.
The lawsuit alleges that "neither the responding personnel nor the Korman Defendants nor anyone else at the Subject Property identified carbon monoxide as the cause of Jay's symptoms."
"No one tested the air in the Guest Bedroom or the Laundry Room, shut off the Subject Water Heater, or ventilated the space," the court documents go on to claim.
After the paramedics left, the couple went back to the guest room.
The Couple Was Pronounced Dead at the Scene Later That Morning
According to the lawsuit, later that morning, "they [the guests] found Kristen lying unresponsive on the floor of the Laundry Room, inside the door connecting it to the Guest Bedroom. They found Jay in the bed in the Guest Bedroom, unresponsive, pulseless, and not breathing."
At around 10:20 a.m. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's deputies, firefighters, and paramedics responded to the home. Despite life-saving efforts, the couple was pronounced dead at the scene.
The lawsuit claims that autopsies performed on the couple revealed that "in each of them, [a forensic pathologist] found cerebral edema, pulmonary congestion, and cherry-pink lividity, the hallmark findings of carbon monoxide poisoning."
So far, Navien Inc. and the Kormans haven't weighed in on the lawsuit.
Along with FRINJ Coffee, the couple also founded the exotic-fruit farm Good Land Organics.
