Five heat-related deaths reported in Milwaukee over weekend

MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner says there were five deaths reported on Friday, July 6th, and each of the victims appears to have succumbed to the extreme heat.

81-year-old Marie Jones was found dead by a neighbor in the bushes near her garage in Milwaukee. Bags of groceries were scattered nearby. Jones' car keys were still in her hand.

"She was always helping other people and not necessarily thinking about herself. It's funny, on a hot day like this, she probably would have stopped to give other people water -- really didn't think to take any herself," Toni Thompson, a granddaughter of Jones said.

There was no obvious sign of trauma on Jones, but her core body temperature was noted to be 108 degrees. Jones' family says she had an air conditioner, but never had it installed. They say the family stayed in touch, but Jones didn't allow them in her home to check on things.

Jones' funeral will be held Saturday, July 14th at Emmanuel United Methodist at 38th and Silver Spring.

67-year-old Richard Waliszewski was found dead inside his South Milwaukee home at the bottom of a set of stairs. The home was "very warm and had no windows that could open, running water or air conditioning" -- according to the medical examiner's report.

55-year-old Jimmy Thompson was found dead in his apartment on W. Wells St. Friday, July 6th. An investigating officer said "the apartment was extremely hot and felt as though it was over 100 degrees." The victim's brother called 911 when he heard a thud from his bedroom -- and he found Thompson gasping for air on the living room floor.

42-year-old Paul Schmidt was found dead on the floor of his bedroom in Milwaukee. When emergency crews got on scene, they said Schmidt "felt hot to the touch." The apartment where Schmidt was staying was reported to be 93 degrees.

56-year-old Timothy Swieciak was found dead in his bedroom at his West Allis home. The medical examiner's report says "the ambient temperature in the home was very hot, specifically the bedroom."

Heat-related deaths were also reported in La Crosse, Lone Rock and Janesville.

Monitor FOX6 News and FOX6Now.com for updates on this developing story.

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