Couple in their 80s found dead in home that reached over 100 degrees, GA coroner says
A couple in southeast Georgia likely died in the sweltering heat of their mobile home, which did not have air conditioning, according to the county coroner.
Larry and Mary Greer, both in their 80s, were found dead Monday, Aug. 1, at their home near Brooklet, Bulloch County Coroner Jake Futch confirmed to McClatchy News. He said the couple likely died sometime on Sunday, July 31.
Temperatures inside the home felt like 100 degrees or hotter, Futch told local stations WJCL and WTGS. The area has seen warm weather in the last week with outside temperatures reaching into the mid-90s Sunday and a reported high of 96 on Monday, according to AccuWeather.
The couple’s children live in the area and went to check on them after they didn’t hear from their parents in a few days, Futch told McClatchy News. They found their father on the back deck and their mother on a couch inside the house.
“It was just unbelievable living conditions,” he said of the sweltering heat. “Just awful. It was terrible.”
Futch added that the couple was in “bad shape” due to recent health issues likely exacerbated by high temperatures inside the home.
Autopsies for the couple are not planned, WJCL reported, citing the county coroner.
Brooklet is about 50 miles northwest of Savannah.
Signs of heat exhaustion
Young children and adults over 65 are at a higher risk of developing heat-related illness in extreme temperatures, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:
Excessive sweating
Dizziness
Fast, weak pulse
Muscle cramps
Headache
Nausea or vomiting
This story was originally published August 2, 2022 at 9:39 AM with the headline "Couple in their 80s found dead in home that reached over 100 degrees, GA coroner says."