An elderly couple from South Carolina in the US met a tragic end when they were boiled alive in their home’s basement, with temperatures soaring to 1,000 degrees.
Joan Littlejohn, 84, and her partner Glennwood Fowler, 82, turned up their radiator to combat the cold, but it proved fatally excessive. The grim discovery was made three days after the pair had reported issues with their heating system.
The couple had informed their family on Wednesday their heating and water heater were malfunctioning, prompting relatives to visit and seemingly rectify the issue.
However, during a cold snap in Spartanburg, it emerged that a family member had inadvertently set the radiator to a dangerously high level. Police found no signs of struggle or foul play at the scene.
After not hearing from them for several days, concerned relatives visited the house and stumbled upon the dreadful scene. The couple were discovered deceased in January 2024, with authorities noting the interior of the house was “extremely hot.”, reports the Mirror US.
Glennwood was found without clothes on the bed, while Joan was seated beside him.
Autopsy results excluded carbon monoxide poisoning, indicating their body temperatures had risen above 106 degrees – higher than what could be measured. Carbon dioxide levels were also tested and found not to be unusually elevated, as per the police report.
The County Coroner expressed concerns, saying: “We did not note foul play to the bodies on the scene, but are concerned with why the temperature was so high.”
Paramedics discovered the bodies inside the bedroom by entering through an unlocked window, according to authorities. Nevertheless, they faced difficulties as the body temperatures exceeded the thermometer’s range, rendering it unable to provide a reading above 106F.
Gallantly confronting the intense heat, fire chiefs revealed that the house registered an unbearable temperature over 120 degrees even after the property was aired for about 20 minutes. One firefighter commented: “The heater was so hot it looked as if the basement was currently on fire.”
Realising the heater wasn’t alight, the firefighters immediately turned it off. The police report detailed: “They then measured the temperature of the heater itself at more than 1,000 degrees.”
While clearing the air of the strong smell of gas, the team managed to get the thermometer working again before they left the scene.
Pondering the ordeal, the officer noted in their report: “Upon looking at it, I stated the residence was at 96 degrees. It read this temperature after the house had been open for around two and a half hours.”