By Chuck Hustmyre
(Continued)
Livingston Police Chief Darren Raney said the bodies of area hunters who've died from hypothermia have been found nearly naked. In the last stages of hypothermia, victims often have the sensation that they're hot, Raney explained. "When you get to that point you're one step from death," he said. "The natural reaction is they strip their clothes off."
Brianna Wilkins experienced something similar, Raney speculated. "We feel that she just kept on walking until she died of exposure," he said.
Dr. Tom Bennett, who performed the autopsy and identified the body as being that of Brianna Wilkins, confirmed Chief Raney's description of hypothermia deaths. He said victims get confused and can feel overheated. Dr. Bennett said there are several hypothermia deaths in the area each year.
In Brianna's case, Dr. Bennett is fairly certain what happened. "We've ruled the cause of death undetermined," he said, "but it is consistent with hypothermia."
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