Upon arrival, they discovered a woman, later identified as Eugenia Michele Wadman, deceased outside her home on Hanville Corners Road.
Initial investigations indicated that she ventured outside to walk her dog while wearing ‘light pajamas’.
Police observed evidence suggesting she had ‘fallen over’ and sustained injuries that impeded her ability to rise, noting signs of her ‘struggling and crawling’ in a snow and ice-covered yard.
Though her death is not deemed suspicious and is suspected to be due to hypothermia, an autopsy is pending, and the investigation is ongoing.
UNILAD has reached out to the Huron County Sheriff’s Office for comments.
Unfortunately, this incident is not the only suspected hypothermia-related death in Ohio.
According to WCPO, three other individuals are believed to have died from suspected hypothermia.
Earlier this month, there was a fatality involving a man in Norwood, Ohio, coupled with a 94-year-old woman from Franklin and an 83-year-old man in Cincinnati.
On January 22, Huron County Public Health shared information on Facebook to raise awareness about the signs of ‘frostbite’ and ‘hypothermia’ and how to differentiate them.
It states: “Redness or pain in any skin area may be the first sign of frostbite.
“Other signs include a white or grayish-yellow skin area, skin that feels unusually firm or waxy and numbness’.
For adults, hypothermia signs and symptoms include ‘shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech’ and ‘drowsiness’.
In infants, indicators of hypothermia are ‘bright, red, cold skin’ and ‘very low energy’.
Dr. Robert Thomas from UC Medical Center told WCPO: “If you’re having skin-like color changes – your skin is turning black, purple, blue and gray, that would also be a reason to seek medical attention. Or if you’re with someone that’s been out in the cold and they’re kind of more confused or sleepy than normal or they are complaining of a bad headache and that’s something atypical for them.”
If you have experienced a bereavement and wish to speak with someone confidentially, contact GrieveWell at (734) 975-0238, or email [email protected].