Woman found dead in Elmwood Park is Cook County’s 14th cold-related death

A woman found dead in west suburban Elmwood Park is Cook County’s 14th cold-related death this season.

The woman, whose identity has not been released, was pronounced dead at 9:47 a.m. Jan. 19 after she was found dead in the 1800 block of North 78th in Elmwood Park, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.

An autopsy found she died of cold exposure, with metastatic malignancy as a contributing factor, the medical examiner’s office said. Her death was ruled an accident.

Thirteen other cold-related deaths have been recorded in Cook County since Oct. 23, 2017, according to records maintained by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Additionally, a man who suffered a fall and hypothermia in south suburban Beecher in Will County was pronounced dead earlier this month at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.

Last year, the first cold-related death of the winter season was reported Oct. 22, 2016. At least 27 cold-related deaths were reported last winter, according to authorities.