Second Cold Death Reported In Cook County
CHICAGO (STMW) -- A homeless man found near a University of Illinois at Chicago student center is the second person in Cook County to die of cold exposure, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
An autopsy conducted Sunday determined that Thomas Grubb, 42, died from hypothermia and cold exposure.
Grubb was found unresponsive near a UIC student center in the 1300 block of South Morgan Street, the medical examiner's office said. Grubb was taken to the University of Illinois Medical Center, where he died at 11 a.m., the medical examiner's office said.
Florence Hawkins, 83, was the first confirmed cold-related death of the season in Cook County.
Hawkins was found unresponsive and pronounced dead at her home in the 8200 block of South Chappel Avenue on Nov. 27, the medical examiner's office said.
An autopsy on Wednesday found she died of cold exposure, with coronary atherosclerosis a contributing factor. Her death was ruled an accident, the medical examiner's office said.
The low temperature on Tuesday was 17 degrees at 7:08 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. Monday night's low was 23 degrees at 11:53 p.m.
Hawkins was the first cold-related death of the season in Cook County. There were at least seven cold-related deaths in the winter of 2011-12, according to autopsy results, with the first reported on Dec. 3, 2011.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
