February 19, 2021

MAXWELL, Neb. – A central Nebraska man was found dead in his home Monday night when the temperature inside the home was 14 below zero.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday it’s not clear exactly when 65-year-old Danny Effenbeck of Maxwell died. He was last seen Feb. 9 when his brother took him grocery shopping. Test results that will determine how Effenbeck died are pending.

Members of Maxwell’s Volunteer Fire Department found Effenbeck’s body when they went to check on him.

“They were doing random checks of people around Maxwell who live alone, and they knew (Effenbeck) had a history of not having utilities,” Lincoln County Sheriff Jerome Kramer said Wednesday afternoon.

Kramer said Effenbeck had relied on a propane heater to warm his home for several years, but the home was frigid when he was found.