At Least 5 Cold-Related Deaths Reported in Cook County

Last season there were at least 31 cold-related deaths in the county

At least five people have died of cold-related causes in Cook County since October, nearly a month before winter will officially begin on Dec. 21.

Mattie D. Gallion, 68, was found unresponsive Monday in her back yard in the 4200 block of West 21st Street when officers responded about 8:30 p.m. Monday, according to police and the medical examiner’s office. She was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:46 p.m., the medical examiner’s office said.

An autopsy Tuesday found she died of heart disease and listed cold exposure as a secondary factor, the medical examiner’s office said.

Richard Faust, 82, was exposed to cold in the 300 block of South Grayfriars Lane in Inverness, where he lives, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

He was taken to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, where he died at 4:01 p.m. Sunday, the medical examiner’s office said. An autopsy Tuesday found he died of complications of hypothermia and cold exposure.

A 46-year-old homeless man died of cold-related causes last week in the Irving Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side.

The man, who has not yet been identified, was discovered near railroad tracks in the 4600 block of West Roscoe on Thursday, according to the medical examiner’s office. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 10:47 a.m.

An autopsy found he died of cold exposure and ethanol intoxication, and his death was ruled an accident.

Another homeless man was found dead of cold-related causes Thursday in Streeterville.

The 56-year-old man, who remains unidentified, was discovered in the 0-100 block of East Chicago Avenue and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:45 a.m. Thursday.

An autopsy found he died of ethanol toxicity and heart disease, and cold exposure was listed as a contributing factor, according to the medical examiner’s office.

The first cold-related death of the season happened in south suburban Blue Island last month.

A 57-year-old man was pronounced dead at his home in the 12900 block of South Mozart at 6:04 p.m. on Oct. 9, according to the medical examiner’s office.

The man’s name has not yet been released. An autopsy is pending, but his death has been determined to be cold-related.

A sixth man who died in southwest suburban Tinley Park last week is thought to have suffered cold exposure.

John Smith, whose home address was not immediately known, was pronounced dead in the 5500 block of 175th Street in Tinley Park at 5:12 p.m. Wednesday, according to the medical examiner’s office.

An autopsy remains pending, but his death is thought to be cold-related, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Last season there were at least 32 cold-related deaths in the county.

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