FREELAND, Mich. (WWJ/AP) - Police say a mid-Michigan man found dead last week froze to death inside his unheated mobile home.
Arnoul Jaros, 62, was emaciated, but his cause of death was determined to be accidental hypothermia, police confirmed on Monday.
Police said officers and firefighters found Jaros' body "in a frozen state" when they forced their way into his home in Saginaw County's Freeland on Feb. 15, after relatives asked police to conduct a welfare check. Family members told police said they'd stopped by to invite him to dinner, and were concerned when he didn't answer the door.
The Bay City Times reported that police said the house had no electricity and the temperature was at 25 degrees, and it was so cold in the home that the toilet water and the dish soap were frozen.
According to MLive, Jaros had apparently lived for more than half a year without any utilities in his home. Consumers Energy shut off his gas in May 2019 and his power in July after bills went unpaid, according to a statement. Though he paid his balance later in July, he never followed the process to get his utilities turned back on, Consumers officials confirmed Monday.
His family, left confused and distraught, told MLive that Jaros — who suffered from social anxiety — didn't ask for help.
"He could've told anybody. He could've walked to the (neighborhood) office. He could've walked to our house," said his sister-in-law, Karin Jaros. "It makes no sense to us whatsoever that when something like this happened, he didn't call."
Karin Jaro said she thinks it should be required by law to check on residents who've had their utilities shut off, to make sure they are safe. "My biggest concern is that this is allowed; that you can turn off utilities in a home and allow someone to continue living there," she said. "I would think that the home should not be able to be occupied until it's safe to live there...for anybody."
