Photo: Ekaterina Goncharova / Moment / Getty Images
An elderly couple from South Carolina was found dead in their home during a welfare check. The couple's family asked the Spartanburg police to check on 84-year-old Joan Littlejohn and 82-year-old Glennwood Fowler because they hadn't heard from them since January 3.
When officers arrived at the house they found it was scorching hot, with the thermostat reading over 120 degrees. They found the couple dead in their bedroom. Folwer was lying in bed unclothed while Littlejohn was found slumped over in a chair next to the bed. Their body temperatures were measured at 106 degrees.
When firefighters went to turn off the heater, they recorded its internal temperature at over 1,000 degrees.
"We did not note foul play to the bodies on scene but are concerned with why the temperature was so high," Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger told WYFF.
The family told the police they last saw their parents on January 3 when they went to help them fix their heater. The family said the pilot light on the hot water heater was out, but they got it turned back on before leaving.
Officials said the couple's death is still under investigation.