Jun 26, 2009 1:21 pm US/Central
Heat Suspected In 2 Chicago Area Deaths
59-Year-Old Woman, 32-Year-Old Man Died Thursday
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
The Cook County Medical Examiner's office is investigating two possible heat-related deaths.
An autopsy is planned Friday for an unidentified 59-year-old Chicago woman who was found in her home Thursday night.
Temperatures reached into the 90s Thursday in the city and the woman's home was abnormally warm.
Additionally, a 32-year-old man identified as Kale Westerhoff collapsed and died Thursday while working outdoors in the southern suburb of Crete. His body temperature was high.
Westerhoff, 32, of 313 Wright St. in Crown Point, Ind., was pronounced dead at St. James Hospital and Health Centers in Chicago Heights at 9:11 a.m., a spokesman for the Medical Examiner's office said.
Westerhoff, who was working on a roof at 1379 Main St. in Crete, may have suffered from heat stroke, the spokesman said.
The Crete Fire Department responded to reports of a worker passed out at the Main Street address about 3:15 p.m. Tuesday, according to Crete fire officials.
An ambulance took the overheated worker to St. James Hospital where he was pronounced dead Thursday. No one else was injured on the scene.
The Medical Examiner's office says it won't know the cause of death for either person until later in the day.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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