by Jameelah Mullen
January 12, 2024
No foul play is suspected, police say.
A Spartanburg, South Carolina, couple was found dead in their home where the temperature of their heater measured over 120 degrees.
The elderly couple has been identified as Joan Littlejohn, 82 and Glenwood Fowler, 84, WSPA news reported.
According to a police report obtained by WHNS, the couple’s family requested a welfare check after not hearing from their parents since Jan 3. Police and medics arrived at the home on Woodview Avenue around 6 p.m. Saturday.
Police said the doors were locked, but they could gain access to the house through an unlocked bedroom window. They found the deceased couple in their bedroom. Fowler was found lying in the bed, and Littlejohn was sitting in a chair.
When authorities entered, they noticed the home was “extremely hot.”
Medics measured victims’ body temperatures with a device that went up to 106 degrees. Both victims’ temperatures surpassed that reading.
Relatives told police that both the gas and the hot water heater were not working. When they noticed the pilot light wasn’t working, they started “fiddling” with it until the pilot light came on. According to the police report, the inside of the home was more than 120 degrees after being opened and exposed to cold temperatures for 20 minutes.
“Temperatures reached upwards of 800 to 1,000 degrees,” Assistant. Chief Brad Hall of the Spartanburg Fire Department told WSPA News.
They then entered the basement, where the hot water heater was located.
“The heater was so hot it looked as if the basement was currently on fire.” The report said.
When they realized the heater was not on fire, they deactivated it. The temperature of the heater was measured at more than 1000 degrees, according to reports.
Relatives said the couple had multiple health and mobility issues. Fowler recently had hip surgery.
Autopsies were performed on both victims, but the Spartanburg County coroner said further testing is needed to determine the exact causes of death.
