Woman dies in Dakotas with no propane to heat home


Save Story

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Authorities on a North Dakota reservation are investigating whether a woman found dead in a mobile home with an empty propane tank died from the cold.

Debbie Dogskin's body was discovered Tuesday morning at her Fort Yates home.

Sioux County Sheriff Frank Landeis says the temperature on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation dropped to 1 degree below zero overnight.

Landeis says he believes Dogskin "just froze to death." Autopsy results are expected by Friday.

People have been struggling to stay warm as propane prices more than doubled due to a national shortage.

Tribal officials have declared a state of emergency because about 5,000 homes on the reservation are heated by propane. Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II says many residents are on fixed incomes and can't afford the more expensive fuel.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Most recent U.S. stories

Related topics

STAY IN THE KNOW

Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Notice.
Newsletter Signup

KSL Weather Forecast

KSL Weather Forecast
Play button