Bessie Watson, 92, missing since Sunday, found deceased in a neighbor's car. Authorities suspect exposure to the cold as a contributing factor.
Authorities in Philadelphia say the death of 92-year-old Bessie Watson may be linked to exposure to the cold weather . Watson was found dead around 4 p.m. on Tuesday in the back of her neighbor's unlocked parked car on the 1700 block of Georges Lane. She had been missing since Sunday, and her family says she suffered from dementia. 'She was dressed for the weather. She did have a winter jacket and other articles of clothing appropriate for this time of year.
But at this time, it appears that she may have died from exposure to the cold,' said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small. Police and family had been searching for Watson for two days before her body was found. Her daughter, Gwen Watson, said she cared for her mother in their Wynnefield home and on Sunday, her mother wandered into the snowstorm after Gwen dozed off on the couch. The car her mother was discovered in had tinted windows and was covered in snow, making it impossible to see inside. Bessie may have thought the car was her daughter's, as it was the same color. 'The girl hadn't moved her car since it started snowing Sunday... she would've seen Mommy sooner,' said Gwen. 'She was a God-fearing woman and even in her dementia phases it's one thing she held onto,' Gwen said. The medical examiner will determine her exact cause and time of death. This tragic incident serves as a reminder of the dangers of extreme cold weather, especially for vulnerable populations like the elderly. Emergency room doctors emphasize that children and the elderly have a harder time regulating their body temperatures. 'One of the things you may notice early is what's called frostnip, and that's what is going to feel like when your fingers are feeling sleepy or painful, maybe a little bit of color change,' said Dr. Scott Heinrich. 'When do you feel a frostnip, it's time to get inside and start warming up.''And that's when you get the ice crystals inside of your fingers or your toes that actually start damaging tissue there and that can cause more permanent damage,' Heinrich said. Dr. Chidinma Nwakanma, an associate professor of emergency medicine at Penn Medicine, says hydration and keeping blood flow are crucial. Dr. Nwakanma said symptoms include shivering, confusion, drowsiness, weakness, slurred speech, and loss of consciousness. 'They don't have the insulation we have in middle age, and older children have, to protect them from the cold. With these cold temperatures, it's really the heart, lung, nervous system and brain that get affected and the elderly have pre-disposed conditions,' Dr. Nwakanma added. Dr. Nwakanma advises that if someone experiences these symptoms and doesn't warm up after 15-30 minutes at home, they should seek immediate medical attention at the emergency room
Philadelphia Missing Person Dementia Exposure Cold Weather Death
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