Police: Mother, daughter electrocuted by A/C unit at North Carolina motel

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — Police in North Carolina say a mother and her 9-year-old daughter have been electrocuted after a heating and air-conditioning unit at a motel apparently sent a jolt of electricity through their bodies as they attempted to exit the room.

Rocky Mount police Cpl. Brad Summerlin says Kendra Pittman and her daughter died Monday. Investigators say Pittman and her three children lived at Economy Inn Hotel and Suites.

[Boy who hid in dryer during hide-and-seek died of electrocution, autopsy shows]

Pittman's 10-year-old son told police the unit malfunctioned and started smoking. Police said temperatures soared into the 90s and Pittman tried to reset the unit. The boy said his mother opened the door to let the smoke out and lost consciousness when she tried to exit the room.

Investigators say Pittman suffered cardiac arrest. The girl died at a hospital.

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Associated Press