Palos Heights Woman, 88, 1st Cook County Cold Weather Death of 2025

PALOS HEIGHTS, IL — An elderly woman in Palos Heights was found deceased in her home Monday afternoon during a well-being check.

Around 12:40 p.m., a neighbor went to check on Mary Jane Alano, 88, in the Moorings when a cold weather advisory was in effect for the Chicago region. Palos Heights police said Alano lived alone and had missed many phone calls. The neighbor found Alano on the garage floor.

An autopsy conducted by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office attributed the cause of death to cardiovascular disease, with cold exposure as a secondary cause. Alano’s death was ruled an accident.

The Palos Heights senior is believed to had died sometime after Jan. 16, which was the last time anyone had contact with her. The medical examiner’s initial findings indicated that Alano may have suffered a heart attack, causing her to fall in her garage, where she would go to smoke cigarettes.

Alano’s death was the first cold exposure death of 2025 in Cook County.