The Ector County Sheriff’s Office received a call around 10:03 p.m. Saturday night that a man and his wife were found dead at a pump house, located at 2200 block of West 49th. Natalee Dean was at home with her two kids earlier that evening. She called her husband, Jacob Dean, after he did not make it home from work. She then drove to the Aghorn Energy Inc. pump house with the children, and leaving the children in the vehicle, she walked up towards the pump house and immediately was overcome by H2S. The two children had little exposure to H2S, but they were taken to Medical Center Hospital and treated. Jacob was employed by Aghorn Energy. Officials say they are still investigating.
Hydrogen Sulfide, commonly called H2S, is an extremely harmful and colorless gas that has a rotten egg odor. It should never be inhaled at high levels, but it sometimes may take only one breath for H2S to cause unconsciousness. Oilfield companies are required to provide gas monitors to their employees who might be around the gas. The gas monitors sound an audible alarm if hazardous levels of different gases are detected.