Dad, Daughter Sought Furnace Help Before Bodies Were Found

NILES, Mich. (AP) - An elderly man and his daughter had sought help to get their furnace fixed days before their bodies were found inside a cold southwestern Michigan home

The South Bend Tribune in Indiana reports 81-year-old Albert Bivins and 55-year-old Patricia Bivins had visited the Ferry Street Resource Center in Niles, Michigan, to get help with their furnace after it stopped working.

Director Greg Nasstrom says the organization doesn't provide financial help with furnaces, but they were directed to state officials.

Their bodies were discovered Jan. 3. Autopsies haven't determined the cause of death. Authorities are awaiting lab testing.

Police say gas and electricity were functioning, but the temperature inside the house was below 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius).

Niles is southwest of Grand Rapids and north of the state line with Indiana.

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