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Dec. 11--BIG CREEK -- An 83-year-old Jones County woman is in intensive care at a local hospital after losing all of her possessions in a house fire and sleeping outside.
Catherine Loper, 83, of 320 Roy Jefcoat Road in Big Creek has had a series of recent tragedies.
Loper's only child, 47-year-old Robert Lee Loper, died of a heart attack last week in Andover, Kansas. On the day of his wake, Sgt. Scott Gable, the Jones County Fire Investigator with the Jones County Sheriff's Department, said Robert Loper's mother was found in the midst of the ashes of her burned home.
According to Gable, Catherine Loper was discovered by a person checking on the elderly Thursday morning.
"She was sitting in the front yard in the ashes of her house trying to stay warm," said Gable. Temperatures Wednesday night were in the upper 20s locally.
Gable said the fire occurred sometime Wednesday night on this secluded county road, where no one knew to come to Loper's rescue.
"The fire happened during the night, but no one noticed the fire," Gable said. "She had no phone or vehicle to go anyway. She lived at a dead end in a secluded area and the closest house to her was a mile or a mile and a quarter away."
Her family is thankful she is safe and alive.
Kenya Gaines, Loper's niece from Waynesboro, said she's thankful for "Mr. Michael Jefcoat of Laurel. I appreciate him. He went over there and found her and contacted my family."
Gaines said she came to Jones County Thursday and picked up her great aunt and took her to Wayne General Hospital for treatment.
Officials said the elderly victim is being treated for shock, smoke inhalation and hypothermia.
Gaines said her great aunt, who also has dementia, is in the Intensive Care Unit at Wayne General.
"She had some smoke inhalation problems and some blisters on her feet," Gaines said Friday. "It's a miracle that she is as well as she is. ... I'm so thankful. I guess the heat from the fire kept her warm."
According to reports, the wood-frame house at 320 Roy Jefcoat Road was totally destroyed in the blaze.
Gable said the elderly woman had no home owners insurance.
"She lost everything," the law enforcement officer said. "It was a total loss. ... It's a tragic, tragic situation."
The family said some local agencies are working to set up an account for Loper at Bancorp South Bank.
Gaines said she and her family are also making alternate living arrangements for her aunt.
She said plans are being made for Loper, once released from the hospital, to live in Pineview Nursing Home in Waynesboro.
Gable said the fire has been ruled an accident. He said the cause of the fire is believed to have been a heater.
Robert Lee Loper was buried Friday in the State Line Cemetery in State Line, Miss.?
