FAYETTEVILLE — A woman found dead in south Fayetteville on Saturday suffered a heart attack, but a policeman said he believed cold weather also played a role in her death.
Police found Lina Waldrop, 46, dead on Saturday morning in a wooded area off School Street, near Pinnacle Foods.
Waldrop had a history of heart disease, Fayetteville Police Cpl. Rick Crisman said. A witness told police she spent Friday night in the woods with a man, despite the temperature reaching 12 degrees overnight.
“She and another guy got some booze, drank it all and passed out,” Crisman said. “He left and didn’t come back until the following day. That’s when he found her.”
The Washington County coroner said a heart attack killed Waldrop, Crisman said.
Jon Woodward, director of Seven Hills Homeless Center, said Waldrop had used the center since 2006 and stayed there an average of three times per month. The facility offers emergency shelter for the homeless during the day.
Waldrop only took advantage of the center’s most basicservices, including food, water and temporary shelter, Woodward said. The agency also offers housing assistance aimed at helping homeless people become self-sufficient.
“We really tried to build a relationship with her and engage her, but we were never able to do that at the level we would have liked,” he said.
Woodward said he wasn’t aware of any family members Waldrop had in the area.
Maj. Tim Williford, area commander of the Salvation Army in Northwest Arkansas, said he didn’t have any record of Waldrop staying in the organization’s overnight shelter.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 16 on 12/29/2009