Police Investigate Possible Heat-Related Death Of Elderly Woman In Frankford
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The body of a 73-year-old woman was discovered in her Sylvester Street home in the city's Frankford section Sunday afternoon.
Police say neighbors spotted the woman's motionless body through her window at about 1 p.m. No one had reportedly seen the woman since Friday when temperatures continued to soar.
Police were posted outside the woman's home Sunday evening waiting for detectives and then the Medical Examiner. The neighbors say the woman's air conditioning unit was not on and only two of her windows were barely cracked open.
Her death is being investigated to see if it is heat-related. Neighbors are upset at the discovery, telling Eyewitness News they had called numerous Philadelphia agencies including License and Inspections, the Health Department and the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging about the filth and trash they say the woman had been living in.
They said her husband died six years ago and since then her health has declined. Neighbor Linda Martin says she and the neighbor on the other side of the woman's row home were suffering from the insect and rodent infestation they say you could see in the woman's home.
"Roaches, flies and mice," said Martin. "You could see two mice going across the screen trying to catch flies."
She and other neighbors say they spray their own windows to keep the bugs out and have also paid an exterminator for routine spraying. A PCA spokesperson says she didn't know if they responded earlier in this case but if they did and it involved any kind of protective services, the information would be confidential.
A spokesperson for License and Inspections was not able to be reached as of Sunday night.
Reported by Robin Rieger, CBS 3
