Dog Groomer and Customer’s Puppy Found Dead in Van After Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Victoria Starr Ferraro, 60, was found unresponsive in her mobile grooming van outside a San Antonio customer’s home on Nov. 11

NEED TO KNOW

• A 60-year-old Texas dog groomer, Victoria Starr Ferraro, was found dead alongside a customer’s puppy in her mobile grooming van on Nov. 11
• Her cause of death was determined to be carbon monoxide poisoning
• Ferraro’s nephew remembered her as being devoted to animals, family and her grandchildren

A Texas community is grieving the loss of a 60-year-old dog groomer, who was found dead alongside a puppy inside her mobile grooming van.

Authorities in San Antonio were first called to a home on the city’s Far Northwest Side at around 5 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Nov. 11, after a woman was discovered unresponsive inside a van parked outside, WOAI and the San Antonio Express News reported.

The woman — later identified as 60-year-old Victoria Starr Ferraro — had arrived at a customer’s home on the 12000 block of Dusty Boots Road in her grooming van to work on a dog, a puppy named Oliver, in San Antonio’s Davis Ranch community.

After the customer hadn’t heard from Ferraro for several hours, they became concerned and asked a neighbor to help check on her. The pair discovered both Ferraro and the puppy unresponsive inside the van, the outlets reported.

Bexar County Sheriff’s deputies and emergency crews arrived at the home and attempted to perform lifesaving measures, but both Ferraro and the puppy were pronounced dead at the scene.

The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office later confirmed to WOAI that Ferraro’s cause of death was determined to be carbon monoxide toxicity.

Authorities have not indicated how carbon monoxide accumulated inside the vehicle or what caused the exposure, the outlet reported.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Medical Examiner’s Office for further information.

Speaking to WOAI, Ferraro’s nephew, Nicco Ferraro, remembered her as a loving family member and a groomer who had a lifelong passion for animals and who recently went from owning two dogs to 10 after one of her dogs gave birth to a litter of puppies.

“She loved animals, particularly dogs,” Nicco told the outlet. “[She was] very devoted to her dogs and her family.”

“My heart goes out to her immediate family,” he added, referring to Ferraro’s son, Austin. “Goes out to the family who lost their dog. A lot of people consider their animals their children.”

In a GoFundMe established to support Ferraro’s family, the 60-year-old was described as someone “who loved animals and her grandchildren more than anything.”

“She gave so much of herself to others and asked for very little in return. Her family admired the way she lived, the love she shared, and the example she set every day,” the page states.

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Ferraro’s nephew also questioned why her death happened in the first place and advocated for safety measures to be put into place.

“A $10 carbon monoxide alarm could have gone a long way,” he said. “A warning could have gone a long way. An extra exhaust vent could have gone a long way.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), carbon monoxide is a deadly, odorless and colorless gas that is often produced by household items, including gas and oil-burning furnaces and portable generators.

Symptoms of carbon monoxide toxicity include headaches, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion.

“There’s a lot of different engineering solutions that could have prevented something like this,” Nicco said, although the family emphasized to WOAI that they do not know what caused the exposure or whether Ferraro’s employer, Dog Gone Clean, was liable.

Dog Gone Clean did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

“Hopefully we could learn from this, move on and be better from it,” Nicco added.