The Edgar County Coroner has ruled that a woman who was found dead outside a rural Chrisman home Saturday morning (January 18, 2020) died from hypothermia due to cold weather exposure. Coroner Scott Barrett announced the results of an autopsy Wednesday afternoon into the death of 45-year-old Neva Martin of Paris.
The Coroner notes temperatures Saturday morning had dropped into the low teens. A man who discovered the body told Edgar County Sheriff’s Police that he had last seen Martin shortly after midnight and that he thought she had left his residence to return home. The man told deputies that when he woke up Saturday morning he found Martin unresponsive in his yard.
Coroner Barrett says an autopsy was performed in Bloomington Monday, adding toxicology tests are pending. He says the death remains under investigation by Illinois State Police, the Edgar County Coroner, and the Edgar County Sheriff’s Department.
