A woman who appears to have slipped and fallen in Annapolis’ Truxtun Park died in the cold, police said.

Annapolis Police officers responded around 2:36 p.m. to a hiking trail near the tennis courts at the park for a report of an unresponsive person, the department said in a news release.

Officers found a woman there and determined she was dead, police spokesperson Kortlan Jackson said.

“Preliminary information indicates the woman may have slipped due to icy conditions,” the news release said. “It is believed she subsequently succumbed to exposure during extreme cold temperatures.”

Jackson said he did not know the woman’s age, and that the department would not identify her publicly until officers notify her family.

While police continue to investigate her death, they said there were no signs of foul play.

The department used the tragedy as a reminder of the dangers of extreme cold, which has persisted in the area since Winter Storm Fern dumped 8 to 12 inches of snow and ice on parts of Maryland over the weekend.

“Please be careful out there and look out for one another,” police said in the news release. “Anyone who encounters a person who may be in distress due to cold temperatures is urged to call 9-1-1 immediately.”

There have been 27 cold-related deaths in Maryland so far in the 2025-26 season, according to the latest available data from the Maryland Department of Health. The department tracks deaths that include “hypothermia” as a contributing factor or cause of death after an autopsy by the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Of the 27 so far reported this season, six were in Baltimore City and five were in Baltimore County. As of Wednesday, Jan. 28, when the latest data was published, no deaths had been recorded in Anne Arundel County — meaning this death, if confirmed by an autopsy, would likely be the first of the season. The data published Wednesday by the state includes data up to Jan. 24.

Seventeen of the deaths this winter season have been people who are 65 or older. Seven have been adults between the ages of 45-64. None of the deaths this season have been children.

There were 75 cold-related deaths across the state during the 2024-25 winter season, four of which were in Anne Arundel County.

Hypothermia and frostbite are both conditions that require immediate medical attention, according to MDH. In cases of suspected hypothermia, a person should remove any wet clothes, take shelter, dress warmly and attempt to rewarm the body.

Though depictions in popular culture might suggest otherwise, drinking alcohol is not a treatment for hypothermia. Though alcohol may make a person feel warm, it actually hinders the body’s natural rewarming process, according to the Mayo Clinic.

In cases of suspected frostbite, a person should warm the affected area with warm, but not hot water. A person should not rub the affected skin, as that could exacerbate damage.

In Annapolis, police said people who need refuge from the extreme cold are welcome at the 24-hour warming center at the Pip Moyer Recreation Center. That facility will be open for such use at least through Feb. 2.