[Martin] Schur’s death last month shocked Bay City, a town of about 37,000 on Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay.<\/p>\n
The World War II veteran’s frozen body was found in his home January 17, just four days after a device that regulates how much power he uses — installed because of failure to pay — shut off his power. A medical examiner said the temperature was 32 degrees in the house when Schur’s body was found.<\/p>\n
The medical examiner told The Bay City Times that Schur died a “slow, painful death.” “It’s not easy to die from hypothermia without first realizing your fingers and toes feel like they’re burning,” Dr. Kanu Virani told the paper.
The Michigan State Police launched an investigation into Schur’s death for possible criminal violations. “We have to do everything we can to make sure this doesn’t happen again, whether it’s Bay City or in any one of the cold weather states,” Bay City Mayor Charles Brunner said last week.<\/p>\n
The death has prompted a review of Bay City Electric Light & Power’s rules and procedures for limiting or cutting off power. It also resulted in Bay City residents protesting Monday to the city about its handling of the whole situation.<\/p>\n