Man found in Dunning is Cook County’s 25th cold death this season

A 69-year-old man found unresponsive last month in the Dunning neighborhood on the Northwest Side is Cook County’s 25th cold-related death of the season.

The man was found unresponsive about noon on Feb. 12 in the 3800 block of North Nordica, according to Chicago Police.

He was pronounced dead at 4:24 p.m. Thursday, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. An autopsy Friday found he died of cardiovascular disease with cold exposure as a contributing factor and his death was ruled an accident.

The death of a man who was found under a bridge in north suburban Lincolnwood last year was also recently found to be cold-related.

David Lee Holicz, 41, was found about 3:55 p.m. on Dec. 27 under a bridge near McCormick Boulevard and Devon Avenue in Lincolnwood, according to Lincolnwood police and the medical examiner’s office. Investigators recently determined that he died of ethanol and drug toxicity with cold exposure contributing.

A woman found dead last year in West Rogers Park on the North Side was also found to have died of cold exposure.

Susan Webb, 42, was found about 1 a.m. Dec. 12 lying along the fence line in the parking lot of a Target store at 2112 W. Peterson Ave., authorities said. Webb, who lived in Park Ridge, was dead at the scene.

An autopsy did not initially rule on the cause and manner of her death, but investigators have since determined that she died of cold exposure with chronic ethanolism listed as a contributing factor, the medical examiner’s office said. Her death was ruled an accident.

At least 22 other people have died of cold-related causes in Cook County since Oct. 23, 2017, according to records maintained by the Chicago Sun-Times. There were at least 27 cold-related deaths reported last winter.