A man found dead outside in the Little Village neighborhood Monday morning became the 19th person to die of cold-related causes this season in Cook County, officials said.
The man, Porfirio Valezquez-Cruz, 56, was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:15 a.m. Monday in the 3100 block of South California Avenue, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Valezquez-Cruz, of the 2900 block of West 25th Place, died of ethanol toxicity, with cold exposure a contributing factor, the office determined following an autopsy Monday.
Chicago police were called to California Avenue just before 9:10 a.m. after the man was found outside, unresponsive, according to a police spokesman.
Officers found evidence that the man had been drinking before his death.
Of the 19 cases of cold-related deaths this season in Cook County, alcohol-related causes were a factor in at least seven deaths, including Valezquez-Cruz’s, according to records.
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