used to stay warm while power was cut off

Rodney Todd Sr. and his seven children likely died of carbon monoxide poisoning in his Maryland home.

A single dad and his seven kids were found dead in their Maryland home Monday, likely after a generator, used to keep the struggling family warm while their power was cut off, leaked carbon monoxide, the man's stepfather said.

Princess Anne police discovered Rodney Todd, 36, and his kids, ranging in age from 6 to 13, at about 1 p.m., Todd's relatives said.

Cameron Todd, 13, L, Tynijuiza Todd, 15, R, were being raised by their single dad.

"He was a strong father," Todd's stepfather Lloyd Edwards told the Daily News. "He was able to take care of seven children. He had difficulty but not much."

The power company shut Todd's electricity off because of an outstanding bill, and the father used a generator — which ran out of gasoline, Edwards said. Todd likely did not know how to ventilate the house, he said.

"To keep his seven children warm, he bought a generator, and the carbon monoxide consumed them," Edwards told the Associated Press.

Edwards said he was not sure when the power was first cut off.

Investigators said they were working to determine when Todd was forced to use a generator, which was found with no gasoline in the kitchen.

They don’t suspect foul play because "they were all in sleeping positions,” Police Chief Scott Keller told the Washington Post, meaning the family likely died in their sleep

The house was secure, and there was nothing out of place when detectives forced their way inside, police said.

Maryland authorities on Monday block off a house in Princess Anne after police discovered the bodies of man and his seven kids inside.

Money was often tight for Todd, a utility worker at the nearby University of Maryland Eastern Shore, his family said.

Edwards told the Daily News that he and Todd's mother, Bonnie Edwards, helped Todd out whenever he needed something.

Still, Todd struggled to buy birthday gifts for his children, his mother said. But he always made sure to get them birthday cakes.

“I don’t know anyone his age who would have done what he did” for his children, Bonnie Edwards said, noting Todd had sole custody after a divorce.

She ID'd her grandchildren as boys Cameron Todd, 13, and Zycheim Todd, 7; and girls Tynijuiza Todd, 15; Tykira Todd, 12; Tybree Todd, 10; Tyania Todd, 9; and Tybria Todd, 6.

Todd taught his children the value of getting an education and being respectful, she said.

"He wanted to do what was right and set a good example for them," Bonnie Edwards said.

Todd's supervisor, Stephanie Wells, said she filed a missing person report with police because she hadn't seen Todd since March 28. She knocked on his door Monday morning and no one answered, she said.