New Zealand police say a mother and her three young children killed when a car was left running in a garage in Ashburton, on South Island, could have been dead a week.
Police believe Cindy George, 31, was checking the house for family and friends who were away, and started the car belonging to the house owner to charge the battery.
The garage door was closed, but the internal door connecting the garage to the modern air-tight house was open.
Relatives found Ms George in the hallway near the garage of the house in Tinwald on Thursday afternoon.
Her three children - Pio Scarlet Jetejura Raukete, five, Teuruaa Junior George, three, and Telyzshaun Gordon Ricardo Nelder Kruz George, two - were found sitting in the lounge with the television they were watching still on.
Police don't know exactly when they died.
"It could be a matter of days, up to possibly a week," Superintendent John Price, the Canterbury district police commander, said on Friday afternoon.
"We believe that what has happened here is simply a terrible accident."
Officers were trying to establish the family's movements and working to establish exactly what happened.
Toxicology samples had been taken, but those results won't be released for a few more weeks, he said.
Their bodies have been taken to Christchurch where post-mortems will take place on Monday.
"At that stage we'll have a better idea of the cause of death," Supt Price said.
The children's father, who was separated from Ms George, lives in Ashburton.
He is being supported by the community, Supt Price said.
The matter will be referred to the coroner.
There was no trauma to any of the deceased and there was no forced entry to the house, Supt Price said.
The car in the garage had run out of petrol and the battery was flat when emergency services arrived.
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