John Skelley, 69, was found dead earlier this month at his home, and the medical examiner says he froze to death.
The gas company, Consumers Energy, shut off the gas to the home on January 19. Michigan state law prohibits companies from shutting off heat from November 1st to March 31st if there is a person older than 65 living in the home, but the gas company says it didn’t know Skelley was living there because the bill was in someone else’s name (who had since moved out) and that person had failed to make the pre-arranged payments on an outstanding $760.28 bill dating back to 2012.
“It’s very unfortunate,” Consumers Energy spokeswoman Deborah Dodd told The Detroit Free Press. “We had no idea that anyone else was living with him. We need our customers to let us know if they’re having problems, the sooner the better. We can’t help you if we don’t know you need help.”
Skelley’s daughter told the newspaper that her father had been suffering from throat cancer but had also been estranged from the family and they weren’t sure where he had been living until they were notified of his passing. She complained that the gas company, which saw record profits of $9 million last year, was too quick to turn off the gas even though the state was experiencing record low temperatures.
A Detroit-based veterans group is covering the costs of Skelley’s funeral.
The Michigan Public Service Commission has ordered Consumers Energy to file a report on the Skelley death by March 31st.
