Portland woman dies of hypothermia following eviction

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A Portland woman died of hypothermia three months after being evicted from the low-income apartment where she had lived for 10 years.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that 52-year-old Karen Lee Batts died alone in a Portland parking garage during a stretch of below-freezing temperatures in early January.

Batts was evicted from Oak Apartments, a low-income complex for seniors and people with disabilities, after apparently deteriorating behavior. Northwest Housing Alternatives executive director and building co-owner Martha McLennan says Batts had been a “great tenant,” but neighbors began to complain about her about six months before the eviction.

McLennan says a staff coordinator received notices that Batts was damaging property, threatening neighbors and acting erratically – unusual behavior for her.