Autopsies: Carbon monoxide killed 2 teens found dead outside Hoke school

Two teens found dead in a pickup outside a Hoke County school last month died of carbon monoxide poisoning, according to autopsies released Friday.

The bodies of Britany Carolina Muñoz-Ramirez, 17, and Ailton Sebastian Tirado-Martinez, 16, were found in the backseat of Tirado-Martinez's pickup outside Don Steed Elementary School on Oct. 24.

Both students were 11th-graders at Hoke County High School, and their families told authorities they had a previous romantic relationship.

According to the autopsy reports and accompanying investigative reports, the teens had attended a party the previous night. When they weren't home in the morning, family members went looking for them and spotted the pickup near the school's soccer field.

The pickup's engine was still running, and the windows were rolled up, according to investigators.

The cause of death for each was listed as accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.