Wilmington couple hospitalized, investigators say cause unknown

Two people were taken to the hospital after New Hanover County deputies found one unresponsive and the other disoriented in their Wilmington home.

Jeanne Gaidis is in serious condition at Duke Medical Center Thursday night. She and her husband Peter were found in their home on Suncoast drive in Wilmington. The sheriff’s department is still investigating why and how it happened.

The sheriff’s department says there was a strange odor coming from the house. Investigators believe the odor may have something to do with why the couple got sick, but they don’t know for sure at this point.

Neighbors say they didn’t smell any thing out of the ordinary. Suncoast Drive was shut down for several hours as EMS, Fire and the Sheriff’s Department worked to find the origin.

“They were telling us that they had some kind of odor coming from the house. They weren’t really sure. Eventually they ended up evacuating everybody from either side of the houses and shutting down Suncoast Drive,” Neighbor Angela Peterson said.

Neighbors say the couple was elderly and they had a dog. The dog was taken in to custody by New Hanover County Animal Control.

The New Hanover County Sheriff’s office says both people were taken to New Hanover Regional Medical Center, and then, air-lifted to Duke Medical Center.

Duke only had Jeanne Gaidis on record. Peter Gaidis is at New Hanover Regional in fair condition.

The Sheriff’s office says the investigation is ongoing.