Exposure suspected in death of elderly Abbotsford woman

An elderly woman was found dead outside her house in Abbotsford Saturday afternoon, and police suspect the frigid temperature may have been to blame.

Abbotsford police said they went to the woman's house on Marshall Road at about 1:30, after a neighbour notified them of the woman's frozen body.

Sgt. Daffydd Hermann said the coroner has been called in to investigate the woman's death.

"We don't know if she had frozen to death or if she had other medical problems," Hermann said.

"One common thing is elderly people collapsing due to exhaustion if they're shovelling snow or clearing ice or things that are beyond their physical capability."

Doctors contend there is a link between shovelling snow and increased risks of heart attacks, and insist elderly people should avoid the activity.

If it is confirmed the elderly woman did freeze to death, she will become the second in two days to die as a result of the cold weather.

On Friday, the body of a homeless woman was found burning in downtown Vancouver after she apparently tried to keep herself warm by lighting candles in tarp-covered shopping cart, which she used as a makeshift shelter.