Bradley Sutter, 85, lived by himself tucked away along one Sequatchie County road. It’s also where he spent his last moments.

Sheriff Ronnie Hitchcock says investigators found him Thursday afternoon inside his home. Neighbors asked them to check on Sutter after they hadn’t seen him in four days and knocks on his door went unanswered.

“He was on a cot and had some electric blankets under and over him,” Hitchcock said, “in weather like this, it doesn’t take but a little while before hypothermia sets in.”

Preliminary reports show Sutter died of hypothermia. His death is one of 11 weather-related deaths in Tennessee since temperatures dropped over the weekend.

Even though the home did have electricity, Hitchcock says the electric furnace did not work. The only source of heat were the electric blankets Sutter had around him.

“He had several extension cords running around through the mobile home,” he said.

Some of those extension cords could be seen coming out from under the front door.

Hitchcock says it doesn’t take long for extreme temperatures to set in, especially without heat inside a building. Investigators say it was 16 degrees both inside and outside of the home the day they found him.

“Once the temperature drops inside the building like that, it will hold the cold air in just like if it were in a box,” he added.
Hitchcock says investigators can’t find any record of Sutter having family. If you have any information, call the Sequatchie County Sheriff’s Office.  (WRCB)

Tennessee has eleven (11), confirmed, weather-related fatalities:

• Hamilton County – One (1) fatality: 63-year-old male, hypothermia related
• Henry County – Two (2) fatalities: 64-year-old female, hypothermia related; 69-year-old male, hypothermia related
• Hickman County (1) fatality:  male, dialysis patient, unable to get to treatment
• Knox County – One (1) fatality: 30-year-old male, motor vehicle accident
• Overton County – One (1) fatality: 38-year-old female, motor vehicle accident
• Roane County – One (1) fatality, 44-year-old male, hypothermia related
• Sequatchie – One (1) fatality, 85-year-old male, hypothermia related
• Shelby County – One (1) fatality: 48-year-old male, hypothermia related
• Williamson County – Two (2) fatalities: 34-year-old female; 10-year-old male, motor vehicle accident