Feb. 17--Three men found dead of cold exposure last month have been identified, authorities said.
They are Martin Kaziemierz, 73, Sergei Subchuk, 36, and Nikolai Chtefan, 63, according to Frank Shuftan, a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office.
The three were found Jan. 12 inside a home in the 3300 block of North Harding Avenue in the city's Avondale neighborhood and all died of hypothermia and cold exposure, according to Shuftan.
The medical examiner's office said they have not been able to find relatives for Kaziemierz or Subchuk. "It is hoped that releasing the names might facilitate some contact with family,'' Shuftan said in a statement.
The three were found about 11:15 a.m.that day and were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Autopsies conducted on all three men determined that they died of hypothermia due to cold exposure. A secondary cause of death was alcohol intoxication, according to the office. The deaths were listed as accidental.
Neighbors said at the time the three were among homeless men who spent the summers in nearby parks or in gangways and spent their winters squatting wherever they could stay warm.
Luis Echevarra, 47, a neighbor who lives a block away, said at that time he tried to get them to go to a shelter and bought them food occasionally.
"I can't do much for them if they don't do nothing for themselves," he said at the time.
The men began squatting in the wood frame house next door shortly after a family moved out, according to two girls who were throwing snowballs in front of a house next door Monday evening. One of the girls' family members had called police, afraid to have the men living nearby.
According to the medical examiner's office, there have been 18 cold-related deaths this season.
Anyone with information about these men should contact Steven Smith at the medical examiner's office, 312-997-3002.
