Heat plays role in Jackson Co. man's death

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Heat has been ruled a factor in the death of a 69-year-old man whose body was found inside his apartment, which did not have air-conditioning, the city's health department said Thursday.

The man's body was found Wednesday after neighbors complained of a smell coming from the apartment. The temperature inside the apartment was 98 degrees when he was found. The man, whose identity wasn't released, was last seen alive Sunday afternoon.

Four others have died this year on the Missouri side of the Kansas City area. There also have been four heat deaths reported in the St. Louis area, and an unconfirmed heat death in a rural area, said Carol Steinman, spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

She said five of the victims were at least 75-years-old.

Last year, 24 Missourians died of heat-related causes, including 12 people age 65 or older, the department said.