Police say the children survived carbon monoxide exposure after their mother called 911.
KEIZER, OR — A Keizer mother was jailed Monday after police said she tried to kill herself and her three young sons with carbon monoxide from a car in the garage of their home.
Chardonnay Marie Benavidez, 32, faces three counts of first-degree attempted murder in Marion County. Prosecutors said at her arraignment that the case showed signs of planning, including online research into carbon monoxide poisoning. The children, twin 2-year-old boys and a 4-year-old boy, were treated at Salem Hospital and later medically cleared.
The case began Friday, June 6, when Benavidez called 911 at about 8:20 p.m. and reported that her children were falling in and out of consciousness, police said. Officers were sent to a home on Holly Court NE, where they found Benavidez and the three boys inside the living room. Investigators said Benavidez told them she and the children had been inside a vehicle before she moved them back into the house. Prosecutors said in court that Benavidez told the children they were having a “sleepover” in the car before bringing them into the vehicle.
Police said firefighters had to ventilate the garage before officers could safely enter. Inside, officers found what investigators described as a makeshift device connected to a vehicle’s exhaust pipe. The setup directed fumes into the vehicle’s interior, police said. Carbon monoxide levels in the garage were high enough that officers could not safely enter at first. Some officers reported burning eyes and trouble breathing while trying to approach the area, though police said no officers needed medical treatment. Investigators also found a gun inside the vehicle.
Prosecutors said court records show Benavidez had researched carbon monoxide poisoning for about a week before the incident. They alleged she chose that method because the children would likely fall asleep. Police said Benavidez told investigators she had planned to shoot herself if the fumes killed the children but did not kill her. Investigators have not said what they believe led to the alleged act. Keizer police said they were not aware of earlier cases that suggested Benavidez posed a danger to her children.
Benavidez and the boys were taken to Salem Hospital for treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning. The children were medically cleared June 7 and released to their father with help from the Oregon Department of Human Services. Benavidez was placed on a physician’s hold while at the hospital and later seen by psychiatric staff. Police said she was cleared June 7, then arrested and booked into the Marion County Jail. A Marion County judge ordered her held without bail.
The court case is in its early stage, and the charges remain allegations. Prosecutors outlined the allegations during Benavidez’s arraignment Monday afternoon. No plea information was immediately detailed in the available case account. The next court appearance is scheduled for June 17. Investigators have not released the children’s names, and police corrected earlier information to say the oldest child is a boy, not a girl.
Holly Court NE is a residential street in Keizer, a Marion County city north of Salem. The emergency response brought police, firefighters and medical crews to the home as officers worked around a garage that they said was unsafe because of fumes. The case has drawn attention because of the ages of the children and the allegation that a parent used a planned story about a sleepover before the children were exposed to the gas.
Benavidez remained in custody after the no-bail order. The boys were out of the hospital and with their father as the case moved toward the next scheduled court date, June 17.
Author note: Last updated June 9, 2026.