(08/03/06) NEWARK ? An elderly couple found dead in their apartment Thursday morning represents the first heat-related deaths in New Jersey this year.

Police say 66-year-old Sam Jacobs and his wife, 65-year-old Bettye, were discovered in their first-floor apartment on South 18th Street. The couple did not have any air conditioning in their home, but police say they did have fans. One aspect of the discovery that puzzled police was the fact that the couple had all of their windows shut in the midst of a brutal heat wave.

Relatives say the windows may have been closed because both victims suffered from schizophrenia. According to relatives, the couple may have kept the windows closed because they feared someone was trying to get into the apartment.

Related information: News 12 New Jersey Weather