Woman found dead in hot Houston condo hours before power was restored

HOUSTON (KHOU) - A heart-breaking discovery was made at a Houston condominium complex still without power more than a week after Hurricane Beryl slammed into the city and knocked out power to millions.

Firefighters found the body of a woman just before noon Tuesday at a 1960s-era condo complex in Houston’s Museum District. Her unit did not have electricity. The power to the complex had been knocked out more than a week earlier when Hurricane Beryl hit the city.

Authorities suspect the woman died from the sweltering heat. She was reportedly not that old but did have health issues. Like others in the complex, she was riding out the power outage.

“It’s dangerous, needless to say,” resident Chesley Krohn said.

Neighbor Pat Baker says the woman was renting her condo unit from Baker’s daughter.

“So, I came to check on her, and she didn’t answer. I unlocked the door and found her. It’s just been hot and miserable, and I’m just sick of this, you know? I’m sick of it,” Baker said.

Emotional neighbors wish they could have done more for the woman, but they are hopeful their story will have an impact.

“It makes me sad she was up here in the heat like that,” neighbor David Duffield said.

CenterPoint contractors showed up at least twice in as many days. Crews arrived Tuesday afternoon after repeated calls by neighbors and an email from KHOU reporters.

The property owner said late in the afternoon that the power was finally back on. The repair included a “pad-mount” transformer, according to the power company.