Golden Pond Assisted Living Facility in Hopkinton had no heat on Monday, Oct. 12, according to the town’s health director and employees at the facility, adding to concerns about its building systems and emergency planning as authorities investigate a resident’s death. The resident died on Sept. 30. Police found the person’s room was nearly 100 degrees, and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner are examining whether the heat contributed to the death. The district attorney’s office was scheduled to meet with Hopkinton police and the town health director during the week of Oct. 12 as part of the investigation. In a letter to the state Executive Office of Aging & Independence, Hopkinton Health Director Shaun McAuliffe wrote that the heating system was not responding to the thermostats. Health department officials who checked the building on Oct. 1 recorded temperatures in the 80s and 90s, with some return-air readings above 100 degrees, even though the heat had been turned off. McAuliffe also raised concerns that an HVAC contractor had been unable to fix the issue and had shut off the heat. That account conflicts with a statement from Golden Pond’s leadership, which said the system was maintained by a licensed contractor and had been working properly at the time of the resident’s death. Paul Lanzikos, a senior care advocate with the Massachusetts Dignity Alliance who reviewed records, said the information indicated the system was not working. McAuliffe’s letter also said an acting director at the facility had no evacuation plan for residents and suggested they could be sent to hotels. The state said its representatives found Golden Pond using air conditioners, fans and open windows to cool the building after the Sept. 30 death. The Executive Office of Aging & Independence also identified regulatory violations and is requiring corrective action while it monitors the facility. The violations included a missing log of communications about the heating problems, no automated external defibrillator installed and failure to complete the most recently required fire drills. Records from the town also document earlier problems. Golden Pond had multiple hot-water outages in 2024 that concerned officials because of their effects on kitchen sanitation. The state suspended the facility’s certification in early 2025 over regulatory violations; it was recertified in May of that year. Previous incident reports also described alleged cockroach and rodent problems and trash outside the building. The state has tightened rules for nursing homes and assisted living facilities since a 2025 fire at Gabriel House in Fall River killed 10 people. The investigation into the Golden Pond resident’s death remains ongoing.