The death toll from a powerful winter storm continued to rise Wednesday after Kentucky officials confirmed a 12th weather-related death in the state.
The Fayette County Coroner’s Office said a 32-year-old woman, Jordyn Daws, was found dead in the front yard of a home in the 3700 block of Wargrave Walk in Lexington, according to WKYT.
Daws was found just after 12:45 p.m., and her cause of death was determined to be hypothermia due to environmental exposure, per the outlet.
Daws was found just steps from her own home in the Polo Club community, not far from where she lived, according to local outlet LEX 18.
SECOND ELDERLY SOUTH CAROLINA WOMAN DEAD FROM HYPOTHERMIA IN WINTER STORM
Neighbors said the discovery stunned the quiet neighborhood.
“This is like the first time that this is happening close to us, and it’s really shocking,” Idris Bashorun, who lives nearby, told WKYT.
Bashorun said he noticed a heavy police presence in the area before learning what had happened.
“We saw lots of cops. We were wondering what’s going on,” Bashorun said. “They kept going back and forth, looking on the ground. I didn’t know what they were looking for.”
City officials warned this week that extreme cold and hazardous conditions continue to strain emergency and public works crews across Lexington.
In an official update on the city’s winter storm response, Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said crews were working around the clock as dangerous conditions persisted.
“While Lexington continues to battle ice and an extended period of bitter cold temperatures, city road crews have made significant progress, and the work continues,” Gorton said in a statement.
