Updated
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Sheriff’s detectives were asked to conduct a death investigation after a 92-year-old Mossyrock woman was found in her closet at her home and transported to Morton General Hospital where she passed away not long after.
Morton Police Chief Dan Mortensen, whose jurisdiction includes the town of Mossyrock, said this afternoon it turned out to be an unfortunate accidental death.
Beulah McMurry was found by a friend on Friday, he said.
“She used a walker, we think she got disoriented and got tangled up in her closet,” Mortensen said. “And was there for a day or more.”
The residence on the 200 block of Hope Street was cordoned off for the investigation.
Lewis County Sheriff’s Office Cmdr. Dusty Breen said it was very chilly inside. The heater and two wood stoves were not producing heat, as she apparently only used an electric blanket in the evenings, according to Breen.
An autopsy today confirmed McMurry died from hypothermia, according to Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod.
Mortensen said he believed she lived alone, but said she obviously had many friends and family.
Rumors that her home had been ransacked and all her medications stolen added to law enforcement’s concern, Mortensen said. But the investigation concluded that wasn’t the case, he said.