Elderly man drowns in pond on farm

An elderly man drowned in a pond on his farm while trying to pump water Friday in rural Johnson County about two miles east of Olathe.

A relative tried to revive Charles W. Mall, 75, to no avail about 5:45 p.m. Friday, said Lt. Calvin Hayden of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department.

“It looks like he went to the pond to pump water out for his garden. Someone checked on him and found him in the water,” Hayden said.

The sheriff’s department investigated the scene and found nothing suspicious, Hayden said. Mall apparently was using his tractor to help pump the water before the accident. The lieutenant also said he was unsure whether an autopsy would be performed because Mall was recently released from the hospital. Investigators also currently do not know what may have caused him to fall into the water.

Mall was a lifelong resident of Johnson County, and his property was at 29480 W. 127th St., Hayden said.

Summer

Kansas City reports its first heat-related death

Kansas City, Mo. – A 52-year-old man whose body was found in his apartment last month has been declared Kansas City’s first heat-related death, the Kansas City Health Department said Friday.

A maintenance worker discovered the man’s body June 29, the department said, declining to release the man’s name until relatives had been notified.

The Jackson County Medical Examiner’s office determined the cause of death was heat exposure, saying the temperature in the man’s room was in the 90s. No windows were open, and the air conditioner wasn’t on. Officials said the victim may have been taking medication.

Only one person died from heat-related reasons last year in the Kansas City metro area, department officials said, as summer temperatures were more moderate. In 2003, however, six people in the metro area died from the high temperatures, department officials said.