First heat-related death of the season reported in Cook County

The first heat-related death of the summer in Cook County occurred over the weekend, when an elderly west suburban woman died as temperatures soared above 90 degrees.

Darlene Lipske, 70, died at La Grange Memorial Hospital at 1:40 a.m. Sunday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

An autopsy found Lipske, who lived in the 3600 block of Maple Avenue in Brookfield, died of heart disease and heat stress, according to the medical examiner’s office. Her death was ruled natural.

On Saturday, the day before Lipske’s death, temperatures reached up to 93 degrees in the Chicago area.

The death is the first heat-related death of the season in Cook County, according to the medical examiner’s office. In 2014, there were no heat-related deaths in the county.