A routine mobile grooming appointment ended with two deaths and an investigation into carbon monoxide inside the work vehicle.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — A routine Wednesday afternoon dog-grooming appointment turned into a death investigation after hours passed without contact from the groomer, prompting a concerned customer to seek help and leading to the discovery of the worker and a puppy unresponsive inside a mobile grooming van.
The groomer, later identified as 60-year-old Victoria Starr Ferraro, worked for Dog Gone Clean and had traveled to a home in the Davis Ranch community on San Antonio’s Far Northwest Side. Authorities have since determined Ferraro died from carbon monoxide toxicity, but they have not publicly explained how the gas accumulated inside the van. Investigators have said foul play is not suspected.
Ferraro arrived at the home Wednesday afternoon to groom the customer’s dog. After several hours passed without an update or the dog being returned, the owner became concerned and asked a neighbor for assistance. The neighbor checked the mobile grooming van and found Ferraro and the puppy unresponsive inside, according to local reports.
Deputies from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office and emergency medical crews responded at about 5 p.m. to the 12000 block of Dusty Boots Road near Cactus Hills. Emergency personnel attempted to revive Ferraro and the puppy, but both were pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities initially released little information about what might have happened inside the vehicle.
The case changed Friday when the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that carbon monoxide toxicity caused Ferraro’s death. The finding established how Ferraro died but did not identify the source of the gas. Authorities have not publicly said whether the carbon monoxide came from the van itself, grooming equipment or another source, and no specific mechanical problem has been announced.
The puppy’s cause of death has not been officially released. Updated local reporting identified the dog as Oliver Oken, while an earlier syndicated account identified the puppy as Olive Oken. Authorities have not publicly provided additional information resolving that difference in the early reports.
The timeline leaves several questions that investigators have not yet answered publicly, including how long Ferraro and the puppy were exposed, when conditions inside the van became dangerous and what allowed the carbon monoxide to reach a deadly concentration. Officials also have not announced results from any mechanical inspection or other examination of the grooming vehicle.
The deaths occurred during an appointment carried out inside a specialized vehicle designed to bring grooming services to a customer’s home. Investigators have not alleged wrongdoing by Dog Gone Clean, the customer or any other person. No criminal charges have been announced, and authorities have continued to describe the case as one in which foul play is not suspected.
Ferraro’s identification and the medical examiner’s finding have narrowed the investigation, but the central question surrounding the vehicle remains unresolved. Authorities had not announced by Saturday what produced the carbon monoxide, and the puppy’s official cause of death had not been made public.
Author note: Last updated Nov. 14, 2026.