Cause of death released for woman found in blizzard outside North Kansas City Hospital
A woman found dead outside North Kansas City Hospital during January’s blizzard died naturally from a medical condition, and there was no foul play associated with her death, police said.
A medical examiner determined Loria Annette Fells, 63, of Kansas City, died from complications of coronary artery disease, according to a news release from the North Kansas City Police Department.
North Kansas City Hospital confirmed Fells was a patient in the emergency room, and was discharged at 1:04 p.m. on Jan. 5. Relatives previously told The Star that paramedics took her to the hospital in an ambulance after a car crash.
Fells was found dead outside the hospital the next morning, after a blizzard brought strong winds, ice and several inches of snow to the region. When her body was discovered, temperatures in Kansas City were hovering around 12 degrees, with a 1 degree windchill.
It is unclear how long Fells had been outside before she died.
On Wednesday, police said no further information about what led to her death would be made available, since it included private health information.
In a statement sent to The Star Thursday, North Kansas City Hospital said they have cooperated with police throughout the death investigation.
“We are saddened by the passing of Ms. Loria Fells,” the hospital statement said. “We have cooperated fully with the North Kansas City Police Department during this investigation and have no additional information to provide.”
Relatives told The Star in January that Fells was known as a sweet person who would bring laughter and joy to gatherings, and that she would do anything to help others.
“We as a family, we’re trying to pull together,” Fell’s cousing Nena Turner said in January. “We’re upset. Losing another relative like that and under the circumstances that it happened, it is very upsetting.”
Previous reporting by Nathan Pilling and Ilana Arougheti contributed to this article.
