State rules former Newton journalist died of hypothermia

Newton Independent

The Burlington Hawkeye reported today on the cause of death of former KCOB radio news director John Martin. Martin was news director at KCOB during the 1980s before leaving Newton to assume a similar position in Burlington. The Hawkeye reports:

"An official from the Iowa Medical Examiner's Office has ruled the death of longtime local radio journalist J.K. Martin as accidental as a result of hypothermia.

West Burlington police and fire found Martin, 51, dead on the living room floor of his home at 601 Brentwood Drive the morning of Nov. 10. His wife, Amy Martin, 50, was in and out of consciousness during that time.

Amy Martin since has been treated and released from the hospital. Her medical condition was not disclosed.

During the course of the investigation, authorities found that the heating system at the Martin household had not been working due to a thermostat problem.

The night of Nov. 9 was relatively cold, with an overnight temperature dipping into the low-20s, according to published weather reports.

Investigators remained on the scene and initially suspected that carbon monoxide may have played a part in the incident. But fire crews ran detectors at least twice around the house and could not find any lethal traces of carbon monoxide.

The medical examiner's office did not provide an official time of death. A toxicology report is still pending. There were no signs of trauma found on Martin's body.

J.K. Martin started working at local radio stations KBUR and KGRS in 1990, according to John Pritchard, general manager of Pritchard Broadcasting Co.

He served as news director for the stations until his departure from the company in June of this year."