Two children who thought they would only be away from their parents for a few days were left orphaned after their parents, their parents’ friend and the family dog were found dead in a house in Greenwood Park in Durban North on Monday morning.

The lifeless bodies of three people, who are suspected of having inhaled toxic fumes from a generator, were discovered at a Rosary Road property.

Kyle Richards (31) and his 28-year-old wife Taylene, along with their 31-year-old friend Bongumusa Ngcobo, and the family dog, are believed to have inhaled carbon monoxide fumes from a generator they borrowed from a relative after their cables were stolen.

The couple’s children, Kaylon (8) and Tamar (5), have been left orphaned.

Kyle’s cousin Delon Twynham says the couple borrowed his generator when they came home from work last Wednesday to find that their electricity cables had been stolen.

He says the couple decided to temporarily place the children in the care of their maternal grandmother until the electricity could be restored.

“They didn’t show up to work on Saturday and I thought they drank too much the previous night. But when they didn’t come to work on Monday morning, I became concerned. I spoke to Taylene’s mom and we decided to go to the house and investigate. They got to the house first, jumped the fence and made the discovery,” he says.

All three of them were kind-hearted people, he adds.

“It is difficult to accept such a blow. Losing one person is difficult but losing three, all at once, is something I can’t explain,” says Twynham, who was also Kyle and Ngcobo’s employer.

KZN VIP, a company that provides emergency services, says it received multiple requests for medical assistance.

“Upon the arrival of emergency teams, it was established that after the family [of the deceased] couldn’t make any communication [with them] they went to the home and made the discovery.

“Reports from the scene indicate that a generator was being used in the home due to cable theft in the area, which has left residents without power for days. The victims were sadly two adult males, one female and a pit bull.

Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda says Greenwood Park police are investigating.