A man died of cold exposure in west suburban Schiller Park, becoming the first cold-related death of the season following a recent cold snap.

       Andrew Siemionko, 60, was found unresponsive around 1 p.m. Thursday in the 4600 block of Wesley Terrace in Schiller Park, according to the Cook County medical examiner.

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       An autopsy performed Friday found that Siemionko’s death was weather related and ruled it an accident. Schiller Park police weren’t immediately available to provide additional details.

       Neighbor Yousef Harb, 44, described Siemionko as honest and helpful for the 18 years they lived next door to one another. The unmarried Siemionko liked to ride bikes and go fishing and was a consistent presence at parties on their close-knit block, he said.

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       Neighbors shared food and Harb and his wife increasingly helped him out with his garbage and snow shoveling as the years passed, he said.

       Harb and his wife fell out with Siemionko a few months ago, but had recently reconciled when Harb went to help Siemionko with his garbage Tuesday. Harb said he knocked on the door, called Siemionko and checked his mailbox to find it full.

       “Then I called my neighbor and another neighbor and next day we decided we had to call the police,” he said.

       Harb said Siemienko did not have any heat or electricity in his home when he was found and he was unsure for how long the service had been out for.

       The death came as a massive snowstorm hit the Chicago area. The last cold-related death in Cook County occurred in March, according to county records.

       Originally Published: Jan 12, 2024 at 6:18 pm