Portage County woman dies while living with family in a car

After getting a report that a woman was unconscious, Portage County police officers discovered that a family of three had been living in a car for five days, and that the woman had died. Brimfield Police Chief David Blough says the family had been moving from parking lot to parking lot, and in his 15 years with the department, he has never seen living conditions like this. Chief Blough on living conditions Other options: Realplayer / Windows Media / MP3 Download (0:23)

Blough says Deryl Bell called Tuesday morning to report that his wife, 39-year-old Margaret Bell, was unresponsive.  She was pronounced dead at the scene -- the WalMart parking lot on Tallmadge Road.  The initial investigation found bottles of prescription drugs, including the anti-anxiety medication Xanax. 

The cause of death remains under investigation.  The Bell's 5-year-old son is in the custody of child protective services.
 

Statistics from: www.ohiolegalservices.org

PORTAGE COUNTY 2007 POINT-IN-TIME HOMELESS COUNT

Count Conducted: January 29, 2007