PEORIA, Ill. – The death of a Pekin woman on Tuesday is being partly blamed on frigid weather.
The Peoria County Coroner’s Office says first responders responded to a house in the area of South and S. 12th Streets at around 5:20 P.M. on reports of an elderly female found lying unresponsive outside of her home.
The woman, Burma Bozarth, 85, was taken to OSF Healthcare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria in critical condition.
Witnesses reportedly saw Bozarth go outside at around 8:30 A.M., when she unknowingly suffered a fall and was not able to get back inside her home. A family member discovered Bozarth still outside her home just after 5:00 P.M., unresponsive but still breathing.
Bozarth was pronounced dead just after 6:30 P.M., despite aggressive rewarming efforts.
The coroner’s office says her cause of death was due to acute and severe hypothermia, due to the fall and weather conditions.
A wind chill warning and advisory was in effect Tuesday in central Illinois.
Comments