Mom likely froze to death after fall on ice left her unconscious, WI officials say

A mother of two died after slipping on ice near a bus stop while heading home from work, Wisconsin officials told news outlets.

First responders arrived at the scene on Milwaukee’s northwest side at about 6 p.m., Jan. 15, after a passerby saw the woman lying face down in the snow and called 911, TMJ4 reported.

Despite life-saving efforts, 49-year-old Jolene Waldref was pronounced dead a short time later, officials told the station.

Investigators say surveillance cameras captured the moments leading up to Waldref’s death, and video showed her slipping and hitting her head on a gate, the outlet reported. It’s likely she fell unconscious and froze to death, officials told the station.

Waldref’s phone was unlocked and investigators believe she tried, unsuccessfully, to call 911, WISN reported.

Officials didn’t say how long Waldref was lying on the ground before someone tried to help, but the intersection was busy with rush hour traffic and, at one point, a person can be seen stepping over her on the surveillance footage, according to the outlet.

“So many cars are coming through this intersection, didn’t want to stop,” Charlotte Morris, the passerby who called 911, told the station. ”I understand that it’s cold, but you could have stopped. They probably could have helped her.”

Waldref was a devoted mother to two daughters, ages 14 and 21, friend and former neighbor Jodi Pelczynski told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, adding that their children used to play together when they were young.

Waldref’s death comes just six months after the death of her partner, Kevin, who she had been a caretaker for, Pelczynski told the newspaper.

“She’d give her shirt off her back if you needed it,” she said. “Always had a smile, always had a story. Always just loved life.”

An official cause of death has not been announced, but McClatchy News has reached out to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office for an update on the case.

This story was originally published January 24, 2024 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Mom likely froze to death after fall on ice left her unconscious, WI officials say."