CENTRAL FALLS — The state medical examiner is investigating the death of an elderly couple found in a second-floor apartment, but said the pair’s death is probably heat related.

A landlord found Rolande and Raymond Desjardins in their Chestnut Street apartment Wednesday at 2:39 p.m., according to Police Chief Joseph Moran.

Raymond S. Desjardins, 84, was dead when police and rescue crews arrived, Moran said. Rolande M. Desjardins, 86, showed signs of life and was taken to Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, Moran said.

The Desjardins’ landlord needed to get into the apartment and had called a locksmith to open the door, Moran said. He said that the police did not find any signs of foul play.

Andrea Bagnall Degos, a spokeswoman for the Health Department, said yesterday that the medical examiner was still investigating the cause of the couple’s death, but it appeared likely it was heat related. The state was in a heat wave that started last weekend and lingered until Tuesday, with temperatures reaching as high as 100 degrees in some areas. The oppressive heat prompted school districts to cancel school or dismiss students early. Communities also opened cooling centers for people who needed some relief from the heat.

Bagnall Degos said the deaths underscored the importance of checking in on the elderly during extreme heat.

Moran asked that people who have elderly parents, relatives or friends call them or check in on them. “Find out whether everything is OK with them, whether it’s hot or not. Make sure they have enough food,” Moran said.

The deaths shocked Angelo Garcia, who heads the Ralph Holden Community Center in Central Falls, which provides meals and activities for the elderly. Garcia said he is often asked by the police and fire departments to open the air-conditioned center to people when it is too warm in their homes.

State Sen. Daniel Issa, D-Central Falls, said the deaths of the Desjardins underscores the danger posed by cutting funding for outreach to the elderly, as proposed by the governor.

“It makes me angry that the legislature is considering these cuts for outreach to seniors. A lot of them can’t get out of the house. Not everybody lives in a manor where people check up on them. These deaths happened at a strange time. Here is the message. Is anybody listening?”

tpina@projo.com