ALGONA, IOWA – The Kossuth County Sherriff’s Office in Iowa confirmed that a 17-year-old died from carbon monoxide poisoning after she was cleaning a hog confinement building on April 19. The facility is owned by Christensen Farms, based in Sleepy Eye, Minn.
Victoria Marie Parra-Lerdo was found unconscious at the facility near Swea City, Iowa, where she was helping power wash and clean. The autopsy released on April 22 showed that inadequate ventilation within a small area caused the carbon monoxide fumes. The medical examiner ruled that the death was accidental.
Parra-Lerdo was taken to Kossuth Regional Health Center where she was pronounced dead.
The Globe Gazette in Mason City, Iowa, reported that Parra-Lerdo was working for her mother’s company, which was hired to clean the facility.