Eight members of a family were found dead on Monday in a home in the small town of Princess Anne on Maryland's Eastern Shore, after possibly being overcome by carbon monoxide.

No official causes of the death of the man and seven children were released as of late Monday, but police said no foul play was expected. They said the seven children ranged in age from 6 to 16.

However, people in the community of about 3,300 said they understood that the deaths may have been connected with carbon monoxide linked to the use of a generator to provide electricity in the family home.

"It looks like the family was trying to provide electricity with a generator inside the house," said Garland Hayward, president of the town commission. "It looks like it may be carbon monoxide poisoning."

Hayward identified the man as Rodney Todd.

The names of the children had not been released on Monday evening.

Residents of the Somerset County town said the man was a food service employee at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, which is in Princess Anne.

"He was a working person and a good father," said one person who lived near the family. Neighbors described the children as particularly respectful and well behaved, and they recalled seeing the family assemble outside their home on Sunday mornings in preparation for attending church.

The deaths were discovered after the father failed to report for work. Those who knew him described him as extremely reliable, so his absence caused concern.

"He hadn't been to work," said Lillian Wells, whose daughter, Stephanie Wells, was the man's supervisor. "Nobody had seen him."

On Monday morning, she said, her daughter resolved to find out what had happened to him.

With her mother driving, Stephanie Wells went to the house and knocked on the door. There was no response, and Stephanie Wells went to the police department, her mother said.

Police went into the house, and found the eight dead. Yellow tape went up around the house, and neighbors gathered there in mourning.

"Everybody was so touched and hurt," said a woman who lived nearby. The grieving and sense of loss extended to children who had known those who died.

"Even the little kids who were the children's friends . . . I could hear them crying and screaming," said Amelia Cannon, a neighbor.

Another woman said she tried to hide the news from her daughter, who attended school with one of the members of the family.

"It really is a tragedy," the woman said.