43-Year-Old Woman Dies of Suspected Hypothermia After Falling While Taking Her Dog Outside in Pajamas

Police said the woman “appeared to have fallen and sustained injuries” that were consistent with “struggling and crawling on the snow- and ice-covered yard”

Getty Person walking a dog in winter (stock image)

Getty

Person walking a dog in winter (stock image)

An Ohio woman was found dead in her yard — and officials believe that the wintry conditions may have contributed.

The Huron County Sheriff’s Office said that the 43-year-old woman, identified as Eugenia Michele Wadman, was found dead outside her home on Sunday, Jan. 19, according to local outlets WOIO-TV, WKYC and the Norwalk Reflector.

Deputies responded to a 911 call about an unresponsive person at a home in Willard just after 11 a.m. local time, and they found Wadman dead in the yard after arriving on the scene, per the outlets.

A preliminary investigation by the sheriff's office suggested that Wadman had taken her dog outside some time during the night while wearing “only light pajamas,” per the outlets. She then “appeared to have fallen and sustained injuries” that were consistent with “struggling and crawling on the snow- and ice-covered yard,” police said, WKYC reported.

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Related: 11-Year-Old Texas Boy Dies of Suspected Hypothermia After Home Loses Power During Snowstorm

Deputies said that the temperatures outdoors in the Willard area had been around 20 degrees at the time, and with the light clothing Wadman was wearing, hypothermia likely set in as she struggled to get up.

Foul play is not suspected, but medical conditions may have contributed to the incident, police said, per the Norwalk Reflector.

The Huron County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident and the Lucas County Medical Examiner is conducting an autopsy, the outlets reported.

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The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on the incident on Saturday, Jan. 25.

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Wadman isn’t the only individual whose death is suspected to have been linked to the recent freezing cold temperatures that have hit the Midwest.

Related: Two Brothers Found Dead of Hypothermia Outside Kentucky Home: They 'Froze to Death'

Three others — a man in Norwood, Ohio, an 83-year-old man in Cincinnati and a 94-year-old woman from Franklin, Ohio — were found dead from suspected hypothermia earlier this month, according to WCPO.

Due to the freezing temperatures, several local health departments in the area have issued newsletters detailing the differences between frostbite and hypothermia. The Huron County Public Health shared on Facebook on Jan. 22 that hypothermia symptoms to watch out for include “shivering,” “exhaustion,” “confusion,” “memory loss,” “slurred speech” and “drowsiness.”

UC Medical Center emergency doctor Robert Thomas 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."

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