Officers were dispatched around 4:45 a.m. to the 2300 block of West 51st Street, near South Oakley Avenue, according to police. Inside the garage, they located a 37-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman in a vehicle that was still running. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities said there were no visible signs of injury on either person. The circumstances surrounding the deaths remain unclear, and police said the investigation is ongoing pending the results of autopsies scheduled by the Cook County medical examiner's office.

The deaths add to concerns about the dangers of running vehicles in enclosed spaces, though officials have not yet determined whether carbon monoxide exposure played a role. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas produced by internal combustion engines, and health experts warn that even brief exposure in a confined space like a garage can be fatal. The gas is responsible for hundreds of accidental deaths nationwide each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Gage Park, a predominantly Latino community on the Southwest Side, has long grappled with issues of housing density and aging infrastructure. Residents in the area have raised concerns in recent years about unpermitted conversions of garages into living spaces, a practice that can create unsafe conditions and complicate emergency responses.

Police have not released the names of the deceased, pending notification of family members. No further details about the vehicle or the circumstances of the discovery were immediately available.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Chicago Police Department's Area One detectives or submit an anonymous tip through CPD's online tip portal.