WOMAN FOUND DEAD IN NURSING HOME WITH THERMOSTAT AT 99 DEGREES AFTER BUILDING SWITCHED FROM AIR CONDITIONING TO HEAT

PEOPLE

 

Mom Found Dead in Assisted Living Facility with Thermostat at 99 Degrees After Building Switched from A/C to Heat

By Sam Gillette  Published on October 8, 2026 02:24PM EDT

 

An 86-year-old woman was found dead in her room at an assisted living facility in Massachusetts, where the thermostat read 99 degrees.

 

On Wednesday, Sept. 30, just before 10 a.m. local time, first responders were dispatched to Golden Pond Assisted Living & Memory Care on West Main Street in Hopkinton, The Boston Globe, Boston.com and Fox affiliate WFXT reported.

 

When emergency crews arrived, they discovered Sheila Szczypinski dead in her room, according to the outlets.

 

“A member of the fire department observed that the thermostat in the room was reading 99 degrees Fahrenheit,” read a police report obtained by the Globe, which noted that the space was so hot that firefighters opened windows to get some air movement.

 

The 86-year-old had moved to the facility just weeks before and was last seen the previous afternoon during a supervised trip to Walmart, according to reports. Staff told officials that Szczypinski had not shown any signs of illness.

 

“I also spoke with the facilities manager for Golden Pond, who stated that the building had been switched from A/C to heat the previous day,” police said in the report, according to the Globe.

 

While no other rooms experienced heating problems, the manager told authorities that the elderly woman may have tried to use the “cool” setting, which would have sent warm air into the room, Boston.com reported. Szczypinski’s son informed police that she was easily confused and may have accidentally set the heat too high. ​

 

“The Communities at Golden Pond, an assisted living residence, is closely cooperating with its regulatory agencies regarding the death of a resident last week,” Douglas Noble, a representative of The Communities at Golden Pond, confirmed to Boston.com.

 

An investigation into Szczypinski’s death is ongoing.  The facility, the Hopkinton Fire Department and the Hopkinton Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.

 

Following the tragedy, Szczypinski was remembered as the “beloved wife of the late Francis J. Szczypinski,” according to her obituary.

 

Born in Lowell, Mass., Sheila worked in a cookie factory and as a waitress before securing a position as a personal banker in Pittsfield, Mass. The mother of three later retired from her position as a real estate agent with what is now known as Hammond Realty.

 

“She loved going on shopping trips and going out to dinner with a nice glass of wine,” loved ones wrote. “But her favorite pastime was spending time with her family members & her best friends.”