Possible heat death in Cleveland raises concerns in summer heat wave

John T. Greer, 84, was found dead in the yard of his home in the 100 block of East End Street in Cleveland around 7 a.m., with a jug of water nearby and no signs of physical trauma. Bolivar County officials called the death likely heat-related. Greer lived alone and had been dead for at least a day before someone passing by noticed his body and called police. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Bolivar County Deputy Coroner Dorothy Scarborough said the scene pointed to heat as a likely factor, but the final cause of death was still pending an autopsy. Older adults are more susceptible to heat-related health problems. On June 26, Mississippi State Department of Health warned that most of the state was expected to see a heat index in the triple digits that weekend. July and August are the hottest months of the year, and heat stroke can be fatal or leave permanent disability.

The Cleveland death also came as another possible heat death was under review in Washington County, where an 87-year-old man was found in his Hollandale home without air conditioning. National Weather Service data from 2014 through 2024 showed four heat-related deaths in the state, while Kids and Car Safety counted eight hot-car deaths during the same period. A child left in a hot car can die of heat stroke within 15 minutes, and temperatures can climb to 125 degrees in less than 15 minutes inside a vehicle.

Elizabeth Thomas, 65, and Jennifer Thomas, 57, died of heatstroke in Harrison County, where investigators found two unopened air-conditioner units in their mobile home and the inside temperature was above 90 degrees. In Cleveland, the coroner’s office and the state crime lab will confirm the cause of death.