6 more cold-related deaths reported in Cook County

The Cook County medical examiner’s office announced Friday that six more people have died of cold-related causes, bringing the total number of deaths this season to eight.

A 50-year-old man Austin man was found near his home in the West Side neighborhood and taken to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, where he died Oct. 30, according to the medical examiner’s office said. An autopsy ruled his death an accident and said he overdosed on a combination of drugs, with probable cold exposure contributing.

Two days later, a 54-year-old woman in the 600 block of West Lawrence Avenue was taken to Resurrection Medical Center, where she also died of a combined drug overdose, the medical examiner’s office said. An autopsy found cold exposure contributed, and ruled her death an accident.

Another man, 52, was found dead Nov. 14 in the 5900 block of West Roosevelt Road in Cicero, the medical examiner’s office said. An autopsy ruled his death an accident, saying he died of a combined drug overdose with probably cold exposure contributing.

On Nov. 14, a 46-year-old man died in the 5600 block of South Laflin Street, the medical examiner’s office said. An autopsy said he died of hypertensive cardiovascular disease, with cold exposure and cocaine and fentanyl intoxication playing a role. His death was ruled an ccident.

The next day, a 53-year-old man was found dead of cold exposure in the 2700 block of West Foster Avenue, the medical examiner’s office said. An autopsy said ethanol intoxication also factored into his death, which was ruled an accident.

The latest cold-related death happened Dec. 4, when a 70-year-old Matteson man was brought to Franciscan Health in Olympia Fields, the medical examiner’s office said. He died of hypertensive cardiovascular disease with cold exposure contributing, and the autopsy ruled his death an accident.

Last season, the medical examiner’s office recorded 37 cold-related deaths between Nov. 1, 2019 and Feb. 26, 2020.