Northwest Side Woman Is County's 26th Cold Death

CHICAGO (STMW) -- A Northwest Side woman is the 26th person to die of cold-related causes this winter in Cook County, authorities said.

Kathleen Karson, 56, was discovered unresponsive in her backyard in the 7700 block of West Berwyn Avenue a few minutes after 5 p.m. Tuesday, according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

She was pronounced dead on the scene at 5:23 p.m., according to the medical examiner's office.

An autopsy Wednesday found Karson died of hypothermia and cold exposure, and ethanol intoxication was listed as a contributing factor, according to the medical examiner's office. Her death was ruled an accident.

Karson is the 26th person to die of cold-related causes this winter in Cook County, and the third person this week, officials said.

The last time the county saw more than 25 cold deaths was the winter of 2007-08, when 29 people died of cold-related causes. Last winter, 14 people died of cold-related causes.