Heat-related deaths spur MCSO warning
2 elderly Fountain Hills women found with broken AC
Two heat-related deaths in Fountain Hills in recent weeks have prompted a warning from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office for people to watch out for their neighbors.
Both elderly women lived alone and were found in homes with malfunctioning air-conditioners during extremely hot weather.
Sheriff Paul Penzone urged residents to check in on elderly friends, neighbors and relatives to prevent such fatalities.
“Our friends and relatives of advanced age are at extreme risk in summer heat,” Penzone said. Air-conditioning systems are operating at a high level, and a failure can quickly become deadly for elderly persons, especially those already suffering medical problems.”
The first woman was found June 25. Thelma Calhoun was 86 years old and had dementia. Her air-conditioner had recently been serviced but was not
working, and the home was about 99 degrees.
The second woman, Lorraine Minneci, was found June 30 and was 90 years old. Her air-conditioner also was malfunctioning and blowing hot air, deputies found.
Also in June, an Apache Junction couple was found dead in a home with a broken air-conditioner, and earlier in the month, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health reported that heat-related deaths had increased from last year.
New research also shows that heat-related deaths will increase in Maricopa County because of climate change.
“We have the potential to see more suffering as we head through the summer if we are not proactive in checking on our neighbors,” Capt. Henry Brandimarte said.
He urged people to reach out to elderly people living alone and to look for signs of trouble, such as newspapers left in the driveway or other disruptions to normal routines.
He also urged delivery and repair workers visiting homes to be vigilant about reporting unusual circumstances to public safety so that people get the help they need.