Michigan Man Frozen to Death After Months of Living With No Power

Sue Byamba
By Sue Byamba
February 19, 2020US News
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Michigan Man Frozen to Death After Months of Living With No Power
A police officer provides security near the parking lot of the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, California, on Nov. 8, 2018. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images)

A Michigan man was found dead Saturday in his freezing house after months of living with no power, police confirmed Monday.

The man was identified as 62-year-old Arnoul Jaros, who had been living on his own for a long time.

When the police found Jaros in his 26-degree home at Falconview Estates in Freeland, his body was not only frozen but he was also emaciated, confirming that he died of accidental hypothermia, according to MLive.

“He’s very, very skinny. He didn’t have a lot of fat to live on, and if you can’t cook, can’t take a hot shower, can’t microwave anything to eat or drink, eating cold foods, there’s no words,” said Karin Jaros, the man’s sister-in-law who saw his body firsthand.

“Losing someone but actually mourning the torture they went through prior to death is unspeakable,” Karin told WNEM.

Karin, who last saw him in October 2019, told the outlet that when the family went to Jaros’s home to invite him to dinner, he didn’t answer the door.

But described by his brother Jerold Jaros as independent and uninterested in socializing, it wasn’t unusual for him to avoid opening the door.

“You didn’t know if he was there, and he would tiptoe around,” Jerold told MLive. “Sometimes you might hear him, sometimes you might not.”

However, the family noticed that there were neither sounds of movement nor foot tracks outside the house and saw that his mailbox was full.

“He didn’t answer the door, which is not unusual. They didn’t see any tracks in the driveway. They were preparing to leave and back out and they checked the mail and it was stuffed full,” Karin said.

The suspicion was enough to prompt the family to call 911. When police and firefighters entered the house, they found Jaros frozen to death.

“Everything was frozen in the house. There were mugs of beverages that were frozen solid,” said Karin. According to MLive, even the toilet water was frozen.

According to WNEM, Consumers Energy had shut off the gas in May 2019 and electricity in July 2019.

Consumers Energy said in a statement: “Consumers Energy stopped providing natural gas in May 2019 and electricity in July 2019 to this person’s home due to non-payment of bills. The balance on the account was paid later in July, but Consumers Energy did not receive a request to restore service or payment for the restoration fee. We are currently working with local law enforcement officials to understand more about the situation and are reviewing this person’s account records. Our thoughts and sympathies go out to this person’s friends and loved ones.”

“We have no idea why Arnoul kept this from us. If he was embarrassed, if he thought he could handle it, if he thought he could fix it,” Karin said, adding that the family often helped with Jaros’s finances but were unaware that he was struggling.

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