The New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office has named Matthew Goldstein, 52, Lyla Goldstein, 54, Valerie Goldstein, 22, and Violet Goldstein, 19, all from Newton, Massachusetts, as the victims found deceased due to suspected carbon monoxide poisoning at their lake house in Wakefield on Christmas Day.
Matthew Goldstein’s cause of death was confirmed as carbon monoxide poisoning by the New Hampshire’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, while the causes and manners of death for Lyla, Valerie, and Violet remain under investigation.
Matthew Goldstein was an elementary school teacher at Edith C. Baker School in Brookline, Massachusetts, and the victims included his wife and two daughters. Brookline Public Schools Superintendent Linus Guillory expressed the community’s grief in a statement, describing Matthew as “an exceptional educator and a beloved member of our PSB and Baker School Community” who had a profound impact on students and colleagues.
The grim discovery was made by the Wakefield Police Department during a welfare check on December 25 after the family failed to appear at a holiday event, prompting concern from relatives. Investigations by the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office are ongoing, focusing on the home’s gas heating system to pinpoint the source of the suspected carbon monoxide leak. No working carbon monoxide alarms were found in the house, according to officials.
The tragedy has deeply affected the local community, with neighbor Ed Arcand sharing his shock and sorrow with local media.
In response to this tragedy, the Public Schools of Brookline will provide grief assistance and counseling services starting on December 30, and these services will continue when school resumes. Principal Saeed Ola of Edith C. Baker School acknowledged the difficulty in processing such news and emphasized the support needed by the school community during this trying time.
