Milwaukee, WI
4 people have died from cold weather this winter in Milwaukee County, more below-zero temps on the way
Four people have died from cold-related causes in the last three months in Milwaukee County, according to the medical examiner’s office, as homeless shelters and others brace for a weekend of brutal below-zero temperatures.
Temperatures are expected to be between 15 to 25 below zero with windchill from Sunday to Wednesday, raising concerns for advocates for people without housing and those who must find ways to stay warm.
“People go wherever they can to stay warm,” said Darlene Roots, who has lived in a tent in an encampment near King Park for roughly the last year, after being evicted from her apartment.
Roots has a homeless shelter to stay at during the upcoming cold, beginning at 7 p.m., but must be elsewhere in the afternoon, she said. During that time, she’ll find ways to stay warm back at her tent.
Roots intends to use hand warmers, blankets and potentially burn hand sanitizer to keep warm, she said.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office said four people have died from hypothermia or complications from hypothermia so far this winter.
An 82-year-old man was found dead in his home by police with temperatures between 26 to 50 degrees in late November. The home’s thermostat and many light switches were not working, according to medical examiner reports.
Three others, who were all homeless, died in December, including a 69-year-old found dead outdoors in a chair behind a business on Dec. 2, when temperatures ranged between 14 to 32 degrees.
Eleven days later, a 64-year-old woman was found outside on a sidewalk unresponsive and later died at the hospital. Temperatures ranged between 4 to 32 degrees that day, according to National Weather Service records.
That same day, a Milwaukee firefighter found a 56-year-old man dead in a vacant house.
“It’s a profound grief, especially under circumstances like that,” said Pat Vanderburgh, president at Milwaukee Rescue Mission, a homeless shelter. “First thought that people have is, ‘That didn’t have to happen.’”
The Milwaukee Rescue Mission operates an overflow shelter for men and another for single women or single women with children.
“If we’re at capacity, we will try to make room,” Vanderburgh said.
As the executive director of the homelessness organization Repairers of the Breach, James West has seen the daily struggles of people who experience homelessness: cold weather, limited shelter resources, among others.
Although there are resources for people experiencing homelessness, West said there should always be improvements, and community support is essential.
“It’s horrible,” he said of people dying in the cold. “The only way we can continue to do this is if the community decides to take care of the community.”
The Milwaukee Health Department advises people looking for shelter to call 211 or visit the website www.impactinc.org/impact-211/.
Where are the warming shelters in Milwaukee?
Here’s where you can find the warming centers in Milwaukee. Note that some centers are only open to certain groups, such as single men or single women.
- Guest House of Milwaukee, at 1216 N. 13th St. Open to single men.
- Unity Lutheran Church, at 1025 E. Oklahoma Ave. Open to singles and families.
- Tippecanoe Church, at 125 W. Saveland Ave. Does not accept walk-ins.
- Repairers of the Breach, at 1335 W. Vliet St. Open to singles.
- Milwaukee Rescue Mission Joy House, at 830 N. 19th St. Open to single woman and families.
- Milwaukee Rescue Mission Safe Harbor, at 830 N. 19th St. Open to single men after 10 p.m
- St. Benedict the Moor Parish, at 930 W. State St. Open to singles.
Eva Wen is a reporter at the Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at qwen@gannett.com
David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at dclarey@gannett.com.
SOUTH MILWAUKEE, Wis. — A South Milwaukee homeowner is pushing back after the city ordered him to take down his year-round skeleton display, calling it a violation of property maintenance codes.
Sean Oster and his wife have maintained the display — featuring skeletons named Hector and Henrietta along with other decorations— for nearly two years, dressing them up for holidays, sports events, and other occasions.
Mike Beiermeister
The display has drawn attention from neighbors and passersby, with some saying it has become part of the neighborhood’s character.
Watch: South Milwaukee homeowner fights city order to remove year-round skeleton display
South Milwaukee homeowner fights city order to remove year-round skeleton display
“It’s like an expression of the owner’s passion… and I think it’s cool they can use their lawn that way,” neighbor Jeremy Payment said.
Mike Beiermeister
Last month, Oster received a letter from the city of South Milwaukee describing the skeletons as Halloween decorations being displayed outside the appropriate time of year and ordering him to remove them by July 7.
Under the city’s property maintenance code, yards must be kept free of anything considered an “unreasonable blighting influence,” which the city says can include displays left up out of season. The notice also flagged an inoperable vehicle on the property. Each violation could result in fines of up to $500 per day if not corrected by the deadline.
Oster says he understands part of the city’s concern.
“They have a few points… I’ve got a couple collector cars… I understand those shouldn’t be out,” Oster said.
Mike Beiermeister
He plans to move the cars into the garage and clean up the yard, but says the skeletons are staying.
“I don’t think it’s hurting anybody. It’s literally a victimless crime,” Oster said.
Oster also had a message for whoever filed the complaint.
“Live with it… more people like it than hate it. And if we’re enforcing this, then we should go around and take down Christmas lights that are up year-round,” Oster said.
The city administrator did not respond to a request for comment.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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The Milwaukee Bucks’ impending trading of Giannis Antetokounmpo to a new team has been the buzziest NBA story since the New York Knicks won the title. But what if it never happens?
The stars are aligning for the Bucks to pitch a narrative to Giannis that for the second straight transaction cycle they’ve dangled him to the rest of the Association and gotten a tepid response.
A few teams, like the Miami Heat, have been clearly interested. Many others, like the Boston Celtics, seem much more cautious and coy about their pursuit of the Greek Freak. Juggernauts like the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are less than a Giannis away from winning the championship, and neither team even seems willing to bid.
Even Miami’s dogged pursuit may not include exhausting every possible means to add Giannis. After all, he’s into his 30s now, with a lot of basketball miles between NBA and international competition, and his representatives want a seat at the table, plus the injury history is getting extensive…
The important distinction, as @Anthony_Chiang and I, and @EthanJSkolnick have noted, is while only Bam is off limits, the Heat cannot in good conscience offer every single good young player and every single available first and every pick swap. Most, sure. But offer everything…
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) June 18, 2026
And then there’s the Bucks, an organization so committed to winning with Giannis they waived and stretched Damian Lillard last summer because they thought adding Myles Turner would lead to the next great Milwaukee frontcourt following Brook Lopez’s decline. There’s a pitch to be made right now from Jon Horst and the Bucks’ leadership that there’s no other NBA team out there who wants to win with Giannis as badly as they do.
Outside from the human element of feeling wanted, there are more tangible elements in play. Giannis can’t sign his next massive extension until October 1 with Milwaukee, or six months following a trade if he is dealt. If his next team is hesitant to give up players or picks to trade for Giannis, is there really any guarantee that a max extension is on the table in 2027?
The collective bargaining agreement’s extension rules offer somewhat of a double-edged sword in this case. It hurts the Bucks’ ability to keep Giannis that he can’t formally extend until the draft and free agency are over, but also the prospect of being able to sign before suiting up in 2026-27 is more appealing to Giannis than having to wait until January or February. Especially given the series of injuries that have plagued him.
All of this sentiment and security still isn’t enough in itself for Milwaukee. The Bucks would require a plan to improve quickly to get Antetokounmpo bought in again to avoid ending up back here, but in an even more desperate spot, come February. Upgrading from Doc Rivers to Taylor Jenkins is a great start, but executing trades and smart free agent signings will be crucial.
Is it serendipitous timing that the Bucks biggest position of need is wing players and the New Orleans Pelicans reportedly want to get into the range of the 2026 NBA Draft where Milwaukee is slated to pick, with rival teams eyeing young wings Trey Murphy and Herb Jones? Notably, those same Pelicans infamously overpaid to “get their guy” last Draft.
This is more than likely some combination of pipe dream and fairy tale, given most of the reporting around Giannis continues to conclude he’ll be departing Milwaukee in the coming weeks. But even that is strangely optimistic for the Bucks, as they’ve reportedly quietly walked back ownership’s stated timeline of having a decision made by the draft.
All of that said, it still feels more likely that Giannis is traded than not. But this saga has had its share of twists and turns so far and throughout all the noise Giannis has re-signed with the Bucks. Who’s to say that couldn’t happen one more time?
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MILWAUKEE — An Oak Creek couple’s stolen car has been found after a viewer who saw a report on the theft spotted it near a south side Milwaukee apartment complex.
Melinna Posey said the ordeal began when her car was stolen and she turned to social media for help. A person who responded claimed to have the vehicle and demanded money for its return. The person messaging even taunted her, discarding some of the items inside the car.
Personal items were inside the vehicle, including the family’s car seat, stroller, cameras and photos.
“It’s been very stressful, especially for him. It’s his vehicle, it’s in his name,” Posey said.
Watch: Stolen Oak Creek couple’s car found by viewer dumped near Milwaukee apartment complex
Stolen Oak Creek couple’s car found by viewer dumped near Milwaukee apartment complex
I spoke to Posey on Tuesday. Since then, she and Tyler Dusenberry had been searching for the car. On Thursday, the couple received a message from someone who saw the story on TMJ4. That person found the car at a south side Milwaukee apartment complex and shared pictures of the red Dodge Durango SRT between trees and a building, covered in tarps.
“I didn’t believe the text message at first today, and then he sent pictures of the car, and I was like, thank the lord, I was like thank you so much,” Posey said.
“It’s a roller coaster that’s what it’s been,” Dusenberry said.
Brendyn Jones/TMJ4
Oak Creek Police picked up the car and are processing it for evidence. The family has not yet been able to see the inside of the vehicle or what, if anything, was left behind.
The family said they are grateful to everyone who helped them this week, but said the entire experience will be tough to get over.
“It’s just unfortunate that this all happened, and we had a lot of memories and trips within that vehicle so it’s just a little life-changing to be honest,” Dusenberry said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Let’s talk:
Hey there! At TMJ4 News, we’re all about listening to our audience and tackling the stuff that really matters to you. Got a story idea, tip, or just want to chat about this piece? Hit us up using the form below. For more ways to get in touch, head over to tmj4.com/tips.
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