Autopsy: Woman Found In Unheated Home Died From Cold

January 28, 2012 4:54 PM

(Credit: CBS)

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CHICAGO (STMW) - A Saturday autopsy determined the death of a woman found unresponsive Friday in her Southwest Side residence was cold related.

Patricia Grady, 54, was found unresponsive at her home in the 5300 block of South Rockwell St. and pronounced dead at 10:28 p.m. at Holy Cross Hospital, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

Authorities said there was no heat inside her residence.

A Sunday autopsy determined Grady died of hypothermia and cold exposure, and the death was ruled an accident, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Grady is the fifth cold-related death of the 2011-12 winter season. The last cold death happened Dec. 26 when 43-year-old Andrzej Jarzabek was found at 5008 S. Komensky Ave.

Wentworth Area detectives are investigating.

Tom

DONT’ WORRY FOLKS. AT LEAST WE’RE TAKING CARE OF THE PEOPLE IN IRAQ AND AFGHANASTAN. INCREDIBLE. THE U.S. IS BUILDING SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS, BLAH BLAH BLAH IN THE MIDDLE EAST BUT WE CAN’T EVEN PROVIDE FOR THE BASIC NEEDS OF OUR OWN CITIZENS.
NICE.

non

What do you mean we don’t provide? Theres all kinds of provisions. How many poor people do you see thats starving in this country? i’ll bet you can’t name me even one.

Roberta Waker

If we’re doing such a great job why are there so many deaths from the cold in Chicago during the really cold winter months? People can’t afford to heat their homes and eat, which is another reason for fires because poor people have to run unsafe space heaters or their ovens to stay warm. Don’t have to name one, just check the news reports on people dying from the cold in Chicago. While there IS help, something is wrong if even one person dies in a cold apartment. Would like to know WHY her apartment was cold; if she even had heat, couldn’t afford it, furnace didn’t work, etc.

JC

She’ll be on the pile at the county, and it will be all our fault. Wheres her supposed family?
Should Not Have Happened

Nobody should have to die alone in their unheated home. Could have been too afraid to leave her home and go to a warming shelter. Or have someone help her. Very sad.
JeanSC

There’s something missing from this story. If a Chicago resident doesn’t have clothing warm enough for our winters, he/she won’t be able to go outside at all for more than a moment. This would be an unusual living situation: to be housebound. Typically, a housebound person gets help receiving food, supplies, and services from sources such as family, friends, and visiting nurses. Most people who don’t go camping don’t have blankets warm enough for outdoor temperatures, but if one has adequate outdoor clothing, that combined with typical blankets should be enough to prevent hypothermia, even in an unheated home. If these resources were present but not used, there was a failure of decision-making by the victim. Why? What really went into this tragedy?