2 dead in Houston area possibly due to exposure to cold

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Tuesday, February 16, 2021
Homeless man found dead during Houston's winter storm
The sheriff's office said they tried to take him to a warming center but he "unfortunately declined."

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo is urging those to take advantage of the city's warming centers after a man was found dead on a median near Midtown.

According to a tweet posted by Acevedo on Monday, the man was found dead in the 3500 block of Spur 527 near Bagby Street. He said someone saw him and immediately called police.

"While we suspect the cause of death to be related to exposure to extreme low temperatures, the official cause of death pending an autopsy," wrote Acevedo.

Also on Monday, the sheriff's office said a homeless man was found dead at an overpass in east Harris County.

According to a tweet posted by the Harris County Sheriff's Office, the man was found dead just before noon on Monday at I-10 East and Sheldon Road.

Though a formal cause of death has not been determined, the sheriff's office said he died "possibly of exposure."

"[A] cause of death will be determined by autopsy," read the tweet.

In a second tweet, the sheriff's office said members of its homeless outreach team offered to take the man to warming center before, but he "unfortunately declined."

READ ALSO: Warming stations and shelters open throughout the Houston area

Before the doors opened Sunday afternoon, a long line of people waited in the cold to get in. GRB was one of several shelters in the Houston area over the weekend.