The boys left a Salem hospital with their father one day after police say their mother exposed them to vehicle exhaust.
KEIZER, Ore. — Twin 2-year-old boys and their 4-year-old brother were released to their father June 7 after surviving what police describe as a planned carbon monoxide attack by their mother inside the family car.
The children’s release marked the first clear sign of recovery after an emergency response at their home the previous night. Authorities said the boys had been falling in and out of consciousness after spending about 20 minutes in a vehicle with exhaust directed into the cabin. Their mother, Chardonnay Marie Benavidez, removed them, carried or led them into the house and called 911. The children received treatment at Salem Hospital and were medically cleared the following day. Benavidez, 32, was arrested after her own hospital treatment and psychiatric evaluation.
Antonio Benavidez learned that his sons were at the hospital as police began investigating the garage at the Keizer home. He later described an emotional effort to reach them and obtain information from medical workers. He said he became so upset at being kept away that he was detained during the confrontation. “Those are my kids,” he recalled telling people at the hospital. His account reflected the uncertainty facing a parent who arrived after an alleged attack but before authorities had completed the steps needed to release three very young patients. Officials have not provided details about the detention or said that he was charged. By the next day, the Oregon Department of Human Services had helped arrange for the boys to leave the hospital in his care.
The father’s public comments also showed how unexpected the allegations appeared to those closest to the family. He described his former wife as a previously devoted mother. Keizer police separately said they were not aware of earlier cases indicating that she was a threat to the children. Neither statement disproves the new accusations, but both stand in contrast to the prosecutor’s account of deliberate planning. Authorities have not disclosed whether the family had recent contact with social workers, counselors or other agencies before June 6. They also have not identified a custody dispute, criminal complaint or reported act of violence involving the boys. The absence of a publicly known warning left relatives and investigators trying to understand how an ordinary Saturday evening allegedly became a near-fatal emergency.
According to prosecutors, Benavidez presented the trip to the car as a “sleepover.” The phrase carries special weight because all three children were preschool age or younger. Investigators say they entered the vehicle trusting the adult responsible for them, not knowing that a makeshift connection had been placed between the exhaust pipe and the passenger area. Authorities allege that Benavidez intended for the family to become sleepy as carbon monoxide accumulated. The children could not be expected to recognize the colorless gas or connect early symptoms with the running engine. Public reports do not say whether they were wearing pajamas, had blankets or brought toys into the vehicle. Those scene details remain unknown, as does what the 4-year-old may remember.
The medical emergency became visible when the boys began moving in and out of consciousness, police said. Benavidez then took them out of the car and into the living room. At approximately 8:20 p.m., she called 911 and reported the attempted poisoning. Officers found all four family members together inside the house. Emergency personnel transported them to Salem Hospital, where medical workers treated them for carbon monoxide exposure. Officials have protected the boys’ privacy and have not released their names, photographs, test results or detailed conditions. Being medically cleared the next day indicated that they no longer required hospital care, but it did not provide a complete public account of any follow-up treatment or longer-term monitoring.
While paramedics focused on the family, police encountered hazardous air near the attached garage. Officers said their eyes burned and they had trouble breathing when they approached. Firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus entered first and ventilated the space. Inside, authorities found the vehicle and a device leading from its exhaust into the cabin. The garage still held enough fumes to block an ordinary police entry even though the children had already been moved to another room. No responding officer needed hospital treatment. The physical danger at the scene supported the decision to send the family for immediate evaluation, and it gave investigators evidence that the running car had contaminated more than the passenger compartment.
Police also found a gun in the car. Prosecutors said Benavidez told investigators she intended to shoot herself if the carbon monoxide killed the children without killing her. Authorities have not accused her of firing the weapon or using it directly against the boys. The reported statement nevertheless widened the investigation beyond an improvised exhaust system. It suggested, in the prosecution’s view, that Benavidez had considered what she would do if the poisoning produced different outcomes for the adults and children. Officials have not said whether the gun was lawfully owned, loaded or accessible to the children while they were inside. Those facts may appear in later evidence reports or court filings.
The boys’ ages also affect how the criminal case may develop. Very young children can be difficult to interview about frightening events, particularly when they may have been confused or physically ill. Investigators often rely on medical records, physical evidence, adult statements and carefully conducted child interviews to reconstruct such incidents. Police have not disclosed whether the 4-year-old was interviewed or whether the twins could provide useful information. The children are not responsible for proving the case, and prosecutors may be able to proceed without testimony from them. Still, their location in the car, symptoms, words and behavior may help establish the sequence of events if those observations were recorded by emergency workers or family members.
After her treatment, Benavidez was booked on three counts of first-degree attempted murder and was also reported as facing three counts of first-degree assault. Each child is represented by a separate count, even though prosecutors say the alleged acts were part of one plan. A judge ordered her held without bail at the outset. The state’s early description emphasized that she allegedly researched methods for about a week and settled on carbon monoxide because she thought everyone would fall asleep together. No attorney for Benavidez had provided a detailed public response to that account in the reports reviewed for this article.
The difference between the children’s position and their mother’s became clear on June 7. The boys left the hospital with their father and assistance from child welfare officials. Benavidez left medical care in police custody. That separation may remain in place while criminal and family-court authorities consider safety, custody and contact. Those matters are often handled through records closed to protect minors, and officials have not announced whether Benavidez may communicate with the children. The criminal court will address the charges against her, while child welfare and family proceedings may separately determine living arrangements and services for the boys.
A June 17 court appearance was listed in the first reports, though a verified account of its outcome was not located for this update. The next stages could include review of hospital records, emergency dispatch audio, police body-camera video and evidence taken from the car. Prosecutors will have to prove that Benavidez intended to kill each child and took a substantial step toward doing so. Her decision to end the exposure and call for help will be part of the factual record, but it does not automatically cancel charges based on conduct that authorities say had already placed the boys in grave danger.
The children’s survival remains the central fact beyond dispute in a case still filled with contested allegations. They were no longer hospitalized as of the first official update and had been placed with their father. Their medical details and current location remain private while the criminal process continues.
Author note: Last updated July 11, 2026.