PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The cold weather may have been a factor in the death of a woman in Philadelphia's Wynnefield section.
Police and family had been searching for 92-year-old Bessie Watson for two days before she was found deadaround 4 p.m. on Tuesdayin the back of her neighbor's unlocked parked car on the 1700 block of Georges Lane.
Authorities say she had been missing since Sunday, and according to her family, she suffered from dementia.
"She was dressed for the weather. She did have a winter jacket and other articles of clothing appropriate for this time of year. But at this time, it appears that she may have died from exposure to the cold," said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.
Gwen Watson, Bessie's daughter, said she cared for her mother in their Wynnfield home, and on Sunday her mother wandered into the snowstorm after Gwen dozed off on the couch.
The car her mother was discovered in had tinted windows and was covered in snow. No one could see inside. Bessie may have thought the car was her daughter's, as it was the same color.
"The girl hadn't moved her car since it started snowing Sunday... she would've seen Mommy sooner," said Gwen.
Gwen says her mother loved her family and her church fellowship.
"She was a God-fearing woman and even in her dementia phases it's one thing she held onto," Gwen said.
Neighbors described seeing police search in dangerously low temperatures.
"The police were up there two days straight," said Will Watson, who told Action News that he did not know Bessie or her family personally. "They rotated out every few hours. They were constantly up there nonstop for two days."
The medical examiner will determine her exact cause and time of her death to answer how long she could've been in the vehicle.
It's a cautionary reminder of how dangerous the frigid temperatures can be. Emergency room doctors say children and the elderly have a tougher time regulating body temperatures.
"One of the things you may notice early is what's called frostnip, and that's what is going to feel like when your fingers are feeling sleepy or painful, maybe a little bit of color change," said Dr. Scott Heinrich. "When do you feel a frostnip, it's time to get inside and start warming up."
He said doctors become more concerned when it advances to frostbite.
"And that's when you get the ice crystals inside of your fingers or your toes that actually start damaging tissue there and that can cause more permanent damage," Heinrich said.
RELATED: Homeless outreach underway with Code Blue in effect in Philadelphia
DrChidinma Nwakanma, an associate professor of emergency medicine at Penn Medicine, says hydration and keeping blood flow are key.
Dr.Nwakanm said symptoms include shivering, confusion, some drowsiness, weakness, slurred speech and loss of consciousness.
In just 10 minutes you can feel the effects. The elderly and children are the most vulnerable.
"They don't have the insulation we have in middle age, and older children have, to protect them from the cold. With these cold temperatures, it's really the heart, lung, nervous system and brain that get affected and the elderly have pre-disposed conditions."
DrNwakanma added if someone does have these symptoms and can't warm up after 15-30 minutes at home they should go to the emergency room.