Community Corner
Killer Cold Claims 18th Life in Cook County this Winter
Hypothermia contributed to the death of a Blue Island woman.
The cold-related death toll rose to 18 in Cook County on Sunday, after a Blue Island woman became the winter’s latest victim.
Debra Togtman, age 49, died at 12:30 p.m. Sunday at MetroSouth Medical Center from hypertensive cardiovascular disease and hypothermia from cold exposure, the Chicago Tribune reported.
“The death recorded as a result of the autopsy today is the 18th confirmed cold-related death this winter,” wrote Frank Shuftan, spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner’s office, in an email.
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The homeless, elderly and chronically ill are among the most vulnerable when temperatures drop. Between Oct. 2014 and January, 12 people in Cook County died from the cold, before the most severe conditions had even set in.
Click here for a list of warming centers in Cook County. Call warming centers before arriving to make sure they’re open.
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