COLUMBUS, Ohio – The “polar vortex” has left central Ohio, but not before claiming another life.
The sheriff’s office in Guernsey County says a 55-year-old man found dead on a frozen lake near Senecaville apparently died of hypothermia after he set out on an evening walk in extremely cold weather.
Investigators learned the man left for a walk around 5:00 p.m. Monday, and his brother went looking for him when he didn’t return. Authorities say the man was found unresponsive on frozen Seneca Lake more than six hours after he initially left.
Authorities say a coroner was notified, but there was no trauma to the man’s body and no foul play is suspected.
A statement from the sheriff’s office didn’t identify the man.
Much of Ohio had very cold temperatures at the time, with wind chills far below zero.
The National Weather Service says the string of below-zero temperatures and dangerous wind chills is ending today with high temperatures reaching the upper 20’s. Forecasters are calling for a warm up into the 40’s, with rain, for the weekend.