Autopsy reveals how a homeless mother of 3 died in a car in Tri-Cities

The death of a 35-year-old woman inside a parked car in Kennewick last month has been ruled an accident.

Courtney V. Brown, who was believed to be homeless, died while cooking some food over wood chips in a car outside a home on March 31.

Autopsy results show she was overcome by carbon monoxide.

The mother of three who had worked as a computer tech was in the car with a man and a dog when all three were overcome. Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas that results from burning items and turns deadly in poorly ventilated areas.

Investigators said a man who lived at the house at 1118 W. Bruneau Place came out to check on the couple about 1 p.m. that day and found Brown not breathing, the man struggling to breathe and the dog unconscious.

Kennewick police Sgt. Stephen Wolosin said at the time the man called 911, pulled the people from the vehicle and began CPR.

The man and dog recovered, but Brown was declared dead at the scene.

Brown was born in Tacoma and was from Bonney Lake, according to her death notice. It’s unclear how long she’d been living in the Tri-Cities. Officials said her children did not live with her.

A GoFundMe campaign was organized by Brown’s mother to help cover cremation expenses and return her to Western Washington.

This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 4:40 PM.