Current:Home > InvestElderly couple found dead in South Carolina bedroom after home heater reached 1,000 degrees-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Elderly couple found dead in South Carolina bedroom after home heater reached 1,000 degrees
View Date:2024-12-24 00:15:51
Two elderly people in South Carolina were found dead in a bedroom during a wellness check last week, with police saying that the home's heater had reached 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit – so hot the victims' bodies had exceeded 106 degrees.
In a police report obtained by CBS News, an officer said that he went to their residence on Jan. 6 to conduct a wellness check after their family had not heard from them in three days. Officers had to enter the home through the bedroom window, at which point the pair – 84-year-old Joan Littlejohn and 82-year-old Glennwood Fowler – were found dead in their bed. There were no signs of a struggle or foul play.
The responding officer said they "noticed the residence was extremely hot" as soon as they entered. And when medics went to obtain the victims' body temperatures, he recorded each at over 106 degrees Fahrenheit – the highest his device would register.
According to Mayo Clinic, the average body temperature should range between 97 degrees and 99 degrees Fahrenheit. If the core body temperature surpasses 104 degrees, individuals "need immediate cooling and urgent medical attention."
When the fire department arrived, they found that the interior temperature of the house was over 120 degrees – after the residence had been open to the cold weather "for about 20 minutes," the police report says.
"They then checked the basement of the residence where the heater and hot water heater were located," the police report states. "One firefighter stated the heater was so hot it looked as if the basement was currently on fire."
After deactivating the heater, they found that the temperature of the heater measured at over 1,000 degrees.
Spartanburg Coroner Rusty Clevenger said his office is "concerned with why the temperature was so high" in the house," but that no foul play was detected. Carbon dioxide levels in the house were not of concern, police said, and the coroner said that his office "will continue to investigate."
Upon speaking to the victims' family, the responding officer learned that hot water heater and heater "both were out and the residence was getting too cold" the last day the family saw the pair. The family ended up "fiddling" with the hot water heater, and family members left the home.
- In:
- Heat
- South Carolina
- Death
Li Cohen is a social media producer and trending content writer for CBS News.
veryGood! (5)
Related
- Where you retire could affect your tax bill. Here's how.
- South Carolina has lethal injection drug but justices want more info before restarting executions
- Ring Flash Sale: Save $120 on a Video Doorbell & Indoor Security Camera Bundle
- 5 Things podcast: Climate change upending US fishing industry
- Disruptions to Amtrak service continue after fire near tracks in New York City
- US jobs report for October could show solid hiring as Fed watches for signs of inflation pressures
- US applications for jobless benefits inch higher but remain at historically healthy levels
- Federal agents search home of fundraiser for New York City Mayor Eric Adams
- Flurry of contract deals come as railroads, unions see Trump’s election looming over talks
- Cedar Fair and Six Flags will merge to create a playtime powerhouse in North America
Ranking
- Amazon's 'Cross' almost gets James Patterson detective right: Review
- The 2023 Starbucks Holiday Cups Are Here: Look Back on Every Year's Design
- Poll shows most US adults think AI will add to election misinformation in 2024
- China and Southeast Asia nations vow to conclude a nonaggression pact faster as sea crises escalate
- Trump announces Tom Homan, former director of immigration enforcement, will serve as ‘border czar’
- Japan’s prime minister announces $113 billion in stimulus spending
- Portland, Oregon, teachers strike over class sizes, pay and resources
- Mississippi voter registration numbers remain steady heading into Tuesday’s general election
Recommendation
-
RHOP's Candiace Dillard Bassett Gives Birth, Shares First Photos of Baby Boy
-
Urban Meyer says Michigan football sign-stealing allegations are 'hard for me to believe'
-
AP Week in Pictures: Global | Oct. 27 - Nov. 2, 2023
-
Nebraska pipeline opponent, Indonesian environmentalist receive Climate Breakthrough awards
-
Quincy Jones' cause of death revealed: Reports
-
Chicago father faces 30-year sentence for avenging son's murder in years-long gang war
-
Breonna Taylor’s neighbor testified son was nearly shot by officer’s stray bullets during 2020 raid
-
2034 World Cup would bring together FIFA’s president and Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed