3 Men Died In King County Winter Weather This Week

FALL CITY, WA - Three men have died of exposure since Thursday during extreme winter weather in Puget Sound, King County health officials say. At least one of the men was homeless, according to officials.

Carl Soderberg, 53, of Maple Valley, died on Saturday of hypothermia. Stanley Little, 84, of Fall City, also died of hypothermia that day. Their deaths were ruled accidental. On top of snow that fell much of the day Friday and into Saturday, temperatures around Puget Sound were in the 20s or below.

King County Public Health spokesman James Apa said the men both had addresses, so it's unlikely they were homeless. Autopsy invesitgations are not made public without the permission of the decedent's family, so officials could not release more details.

On Thursday, Derek C. Johnson, 59, died in Seattle of hypothermia, according to the medical examiner. He was presumed to be homeless. A 37-year-old Seattle woman was found dead in a home over the weekend, according to KNKX, but authorities could not immediately confirm she died of exposure.

Temperatures are expected to rise this week, getting into the low-40s by Thursday. But overnight temperatures will still be below freezing.

Shelters and warming centers have opened across the Seattle-Bellevue area, including a new one in Seattle's Bitter Lake neighborhood that opened Monday afternoon. To find out more about those resources, click here.

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