Nearly 90 people died in Central Texas during February's historic freeze, according to the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office.
Sixty-four deaths were in Travis County; another 22 were in nearby counties. The medical examiner will determine whether the deaths were due to hypothermia, carbon monoxide poisoning, crashes and other causes linked to the freeze that crippled the state.
Travis County Public Information Officer Hector Nieto said the office will release a report after concluding its investigation. It can take anywhere from 30 to 90 days to investigate a single death, he said, so it's unclear when that will be.
The number of deaths in Travis County, first reported by the Houston Chronicle, far exceeds the official state count of nine.
The Department of State Health Services says 111 people in the state died overall as a result of the freeze. The Chronicle on Thursday put that figure at 194. It based its number on analysis of news accounts, medical examiner investigations and lawsuits. Still, that's likely an underestimate, given Texas' system of reporting deaths in smaller counties, which can take months.
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