2-Year-Old Who Died in New Hampshire After Wandering out Into Cold Is Identified

Stock photo of police tape. (Carl Ballou/Shutterstock)

A 2-year-old girl was found dead outside her New Hampshire cold as temperatures plummeted this week, according to local reports.

“All indications are the child left the home on her own in the course of the night without the parents knowing,” said Newport Police Chief Jim Burroughs, reported CBS Boston.

The girl’s mother, Courtney VanSchoick, said her name was Sofia, according to the report.

A neighbor reported hearing what sounded like crying at around 4 a.m. It was eight degrees below zero Fahrenheit in Newport.

It wasn’t until 7 a.m. that a neighbor found the girl.

“Usually I take a midnight stroll to go to the store and I felt like I could have done something it’s just you know weighing on me,” neighbor Keith Dee said.

VanSchoick moved to the home with her twin sons and daughter. A family member said she had spoken with her landlord about changing the locks on the doors, saying they were too easy to open, according to the CBS report.

The girl’s grandfather, Lindsay VanSchoick, said that Courtney had moved in with him over the weekend, NECN reported.

He said Sofia wasn’t familiar with the home, which might have been why she went down the stairs and got outside.

“I don’t blame her for anything,” said neighbor James Dee. “It was an accident.” Police agreed with that assessment, but are not ruling out possible charges as the investigation unfolds.

VanSchoick issued a comment on Facebook.

“My little angel fly high… Mommy loves you and misses you. Thank you for the best 2 and a half years of my life. Mommy loves you so much,” she wrote.

Police, meanwhile, said her death appears to be a “bad accident,” NECN reported.

Burroughs said it’s not clear if anyone will faces charges in the death. A preliminary autopsy report showed the child died due to exposure.

“It was 8 below zero overnight here in Newport at the scene,” added Burroughs. “The investigation is very much ongoing at this time and cause of death has not been determined. Right now everything appears to be consistent with exposure.”

Burroughs said it’s among the most tragic cases he has investigated.

“You do this job long enough you see a lot of horrible things,” Burroughs told CBS Boston. “This ranks right up there as one of the worst.”

A police investigation is ongoing.

“A very unfortunate set of circumstances that involves a 2-1/2-year-old young girl who left the residence apparently by her own accord and just wasn’t able to regain entry,” Burroughs said, NECN reported.

Sofia was described to be “very precocious, very active and a very happy” child, WHDH reported.

A small memorial was set up at the scene of the tragedy.

Freezing to Death

Freezing to death is known as hypothermia, or a preventable lowering of the core body temperature to lower than 95 degrees (normal body temperature is around 98.6 degrees), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hypothermia causes approximately 600 deaths each year in the United States.

“Exposure to excessive cold (or excessive exposure to cold) slows enzymatic activity throughout the body, leading to potentially fatal rhabdomyolysis, coagulopathy, renal failure, and dysrhythmias. Alcohol intake, activity level, and type of clothing are among the modifiable factors associated with hypothermia,” the agency stated.