No foul play suspected in deaths of 2 housemates
Different diseases ID’d as cause of men’s demise
By Rachael Scarborough King, Register Staff
Dec. 4, 2007
OLD SAYBROOK — Two men whose bodies were discovered in their home at 14 N. Meadow Road both died of natural causes, a spokeswoman for the state chief medical examiner said Monday.
Ronald Gebo, 70, died of artherosclerotic cardiovascular disease — a hardening of the arteries — with alcoholism listed as a significant condition, based on an autopsy the medical examiner’s office performed Monday. Eugene Amoroso, 62, died of broncho-pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a condition that results in an obstruction in the flow of air into and out of the lungs.
The two men were housemates who rented their home, Lt. Michael Spera said. A family member of one of the men went to the house Sunday after not having heard from him in a couple of days and found both men unconscious and unresponsive, Spera said. She called 911 at about 7:30 p.m., and Old Saybrook officers found both men deceased when they arrived.
Police initially called in the Old Saybrook Fire Department to perform an air quality test, which showed that carbon monoxide poisoning was not a factor. Town police also requested assistance from the state police Major Crime Squad.
Spera said the department has closed its criminal investigation, but will continue an untimely death investigation. He said he did not know exactly when anyone last spoke to either Gebo or Amoroso. The autopsies performed Monday did not pin down the time of death for either man. That should be revealed in toxicology reports that will be available in 12 to 17 weeks.
“One of the lingering questions is who passed away first and how long they had been left in the house,” he said.
The spokeswoman for the medical examiner’s office said the timing may have been a “coincidence.”
Police worked through Sunday night and Monday to collect evidence and interview neighbors, Spera said.
“This case (was) extremely unique in that two people passed away in a home around the same time,” Spera said. “We want to stress that all signs point that this was non-criminal in nature, so residents should feel safe who live in the area.”
Spera said Amoroso and Gebo were friends, but he did not know how long they had lived together. There was a dog found in the house. It is healthy and was placed with a family member, Spera said.
Amoroso had worked at Town Fair Tire in Old Saybrook for about 15 years, store Manager Tom Powell said Monday. Amoroso was a delivery driver and “a very important part of our operation here,” Powell said.
He added that Amoroso was a “very pleasant” person who rarely missed work.
“He came to work, he worked hard … He always had a smile for everybody,” Powell said. “He always cared about other people more than he cared about himself — there’s no doubt about that.”
Powell said Amoroso was out sick with the flu last week, and the last time anyone from the store spoke to him was Thursday. Powell added that he did not know Amoroso had a chronic medical condition.
Relatives of Gebo could not be reached for comment Monday.