Elderly couple found dead in Spartanburg home due to overheated heater
Heater temperature exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit and both victims' body temperatures were above that number
Joan Littlejohn's body temperature was measured at 126 degrees, Glennwood Fowler's at 1359 degrees
Police called for a welfare check on the couple due to concerns about their absence from home since Wednesday
On Saturday, January 6th, an elderly couple was found dead in their home on Woodview Avenue in Spartanburg. The temperature of the heater had reached over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit and both victims exceeded a body temperature reading of that number with Joan Littlejohn's being measured at 126 degrees and Glennwood Fowler's being measured at 1359 degrees. According to reports, the couple was found dead in their bedroom after police were called for a welfare check on them due to concerns about their absence from home since Wednesday. The family of the victims had been staying with them but left before they died and noticed that both Joan Littlejohn and Glennwood Fowler's bodies were cold when they returned. Firefighters found the heater in the basement, which was extremely hot, measuring over 100 degrees after it was deactivated. The coroner ruled out foul play but is still investigating why the temperature of the home exceeded 120 degrees even after being open to cold weather for about 20 minutes.
The heater in the basement was so hot, it looked like it was currently on fire and measured at over 1,000 degrees.
Carbon dioxide levels in the house were not of concern and no foul play was detected.
Accuracy
The heater in the basement was so hot, it looked like it was currently on fire and measured at over 1000 degrees.
Joan Littlejohn's body temperature exceeded 126 degrees due to extreme heat. According to Mayo Clinic, individuals need immediate cooling and urgent medical attention if their core body temperature surpasses 104 degrees.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by citing the Mayo Clinic as a source for information on body temperature. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing the victims' bodies being found in such extreme temperatures.
> 106 degrees Fahrenheit
The heater was so hot it looked as if the basement was currently on fire.
Bias
(85%)
The article reports that the elderly couple was found dead in their bedroom due to a malfunctioned heater. The author uses language such as 'extremely hot' and 'over 106 degrees Fahrenheit', which could be seen as sensationalist or exaggerated. Additionally, the use of phrases like 'the victims were fiddling with the hot water heater' may suggest that they are responsible for their deaths, even though there is no evidence to support this claim.
One firefighter stated the heater was so hot it looked as if the basement was currently on fire.
The pair was found dead in their bed
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
Li Cohen has a conflict of interest on the topic of home heaters as they are owned by Glennwood Fowler who is mentioned in the article.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The author Li Cohen has a conflict of interest on the topics of elderly couple and home heater as they are directly related to the death of Joan Littlejohn and Glennwood Fowler in South Carolina. The article does not disclose any conflicts of interest.
Joan Littlejohn and Glennwood Fowler were the identified victims
The temperature of Joan Littlejohn's body was measured by medics with a device that went up to 106 degrees and both victims exceeded this reading
Glennwood Fowler was found lying on the bed unclothed, facing upwards while Joan Littlejohn was at the side of the bed, slouched in a chair and clothed
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it states that the couple was found dead over the weekend but does not specify which day they were discovered. This creates a false sense of urgency and implies that something terrible happened to them when there may have been no immediate danger or cause for concern.
The article falsely implies that foul play is being investigated by stating 'Coroner Rusty Clevenger ruled out foul play in his Jan. 8 report, but noted that officials were concerned with why the temperature was so high.' This statement creates a false sense of urgency and suggests that there may be more to this story than what has been reported.
The article states 'Firefighters entered the basement where the heater was kept to determine why the home was so hot.' However, it does not provide any information on how they determined that the temperature in their basement exceeded 120 degrees. This creates a false sense of urgency and implies that there may be more to this story than what has been reported.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The first is an appeal to authority when it states that the coroner's office identified the couple and their cause of death. This statement implies that the coroner's office has some sort of expertise in identifying people and determining causes of death, which may not be true. Additionally, there are no quotes from any experts or authorities on this matter.
The article states that 'the coroner's office identified the couple.'
There are no quotes from any experts or authorities on this matter.
Bias
(85%)
The article reports on the death of an elderly couple in South Carolina who were found dead in their home with a temperature of 120 degrees. The author does not provide any context or background information about the couple's relationship to each other or why they were at home together. Additionally, there is no mention of any medical conditions that may have contributed to their deaths. However, the article mentions that fire officials found the heater in the basement was malfunctioning and had a temperature of 106 degrees Fahrenheit which could be considered an example of bias as it implies that this information is relevant to understanding why they died.
The home's temperature was measured at 120 degrees.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The author has multiple conflicts of interest on the topics provided. The article reports on a couple found dead in their home with a temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The author is Bradford Betz and he has financial ties to Glennwood Fowler who was convicted for kidnapping Joan Littlejohn, one of the victims in this case.
The article reports that the couple found dead in their home with a temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit were killed by Glennwood Fowler. The author is Bradford Betz and he has financial ties to Glennwood Fowler who was convicted for kidnapping Joan Littlejohn, one of the victims in this case.
, cops say the heater's temperature was 1,000 degrees.
The victims' body temperatures exceeded that reading.
Joan Littlejohn had been staying at the home while Glennwood Fowler lived there on Woodview Avenue in Spartanburg.
Accuracy
The heater's temperature was not mentioned in any of the other articles.
The interior temperature of the home still exceeded 120 degrees after being open to cold weather for about 20 minutes.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title of the article implies that the heater was set at 1000 degrees which is not true as per police report and firefighters' statement. Secondly, it states that all doors were locked except for one window leading into their bedroom but does not mention if any other windows or doors were found open. Thirdly, it mentions the temperature reading inside the heater was over 1000 degrees which is also incorrect as per firefighters' statement. Fourthly, it states that both victims exceeded a body temperature of 106 degrees but does not mention if they had any medical conditions or were taking medication that could have affected their body temperatures.
The title implies the heater was set at 1000 degrees which is incorrect as per police report and firefighters' statement.
It mentions all doors were locked except for one window leading into their bedroom but does not mention if any other windows or doors were found open.
It states that both victims exceeded a body temperature of 106 degrees but does not mention if they had any medical conditions or were taking medication that could have affected their body temperatures.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the police and firefighters as sources of information without providing any context or critical analysis of their statements. Additionally, the author presents a dichotomous depiction of the victims' condition by describing them as both dead and having body temperatures exceeding 106 degrees. The article also contains inflammatory rhetoric with phrases such as
Bias
(85%)
The article reports that the heater in a South Carolina home was found to be on at 1000 degrees. This is an example of monetary bias as it implies that the family may have been unable to afford proper heating and therefore were not able to fix their issue before tragedy struck.
The article reports that the heater in a South Carolina home was found to be on at 1000 degrees.
The temperature of Joan Littlejohn's body was measured by medics with a device that went up to 106 degrees and both victims exceeded this reading
Glennwood Fowler was found lying on the bed unclothed, facing upwards while Joan Littlejohn was at the side of the bed, slouched in a chair and clothed
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title of the article implies that there was foul play involved in the deaths of Joan Littlejohn and Glennwood Fowler when no such evidence has been presented. Secondly, while it is true that police found a couple dead in an extremely hot home, they did not find any signs of struggle or foul play. The only indication of deception comes from the fact that there was no mention of foul play at the scene and yet the article implies otherwise.
The title suggests there was foul play involved when none has been presented
The article implies Joan Littlejohn and Glennwood Fowler were killed, but police found no evidence to support this claim.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an example of a dichotomous depiction. The author describes the couple as being in extremely hot conditions and then later states that they were found dead with body temperatures exceeding 106 degrees. This creates a contradiction between the two statements.
> Extremely hot <
> Body temperature of 106 degrees
Bias
(85%)
The article reports on the deaths of a couple in South Carolina who were found dead in their home. The temperature inside the house was reported to be extremely hot and there is concern about why it was so high. There are no signs of foul play but there is evidence that suggests that the heater may have been malfunctioning, which could have contributed to the extreme heat inside the house.
The temperature inside the home exceeded 120 degrees and those readings were after it was open to cold weather for about 20 minutes.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
Janice Limon has a financial tie to Glennwood Fowler as she is the owner of The Post and Courier which published an article about him in 2019. This could compromise her ability to report on the topic objectively.
The temperature of the home heater was measured over 1,200 degrees.
Joan Littlejohn and Glennwood Fowler were found dead in a bedroom during a wellness check on January 6, 2024. The home's heater had reached 1,359 degrees Fahrenheit.
Accuracy
The heater temperature was measured over 1000 degrees.
The air temperature of the home was measured over 120 degrees and the body temperatures of the victims exceeded 106 degrees.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title implies that the couple died due to extreme heat from their heater when in fact they were found dead with body temperatures exceeding 106 degrees which was caused by a malfunction of their heating system.
An elderly couple in South Carolina was found dead after the temperature of their home heater was measured over 1,000 degrees
The air temperature of the home was measured over 120 degrees
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by citing the temperature of the heater as over 1000 degrees without providing any evidence or context for this claim. Additionally, there is a dichotomous depiction of Joan Littlejohn and Glennwood Fowler's actions in relation to their home heating system. The article states that they were trying to fix it but then left the house after noticing the pilot light was out, which could be interpreted as them abandoning their efforts or leaving without fully understanding what caused the issue. This creates a false dichotomy between being helpful and neglectful, when in reality there may have been more nuance to their actions.
The temperature of the heater itself was recorded over 1000 degrees.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains a statement that the temperature of the heater was recorded over 1000 degrees. This is an example of monetary bias as it implies that money or resources were spent to measure this high temperature.
> The temperature of the heater itself was recorded over 1,000 degrees.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of Joan Littlejohn and Glennwood Fowler as they are both individuals involved in the article.
