Three-year-old boy freezes to death after wandering out of house in sub-zero weather on night of his birthday

© Mirror Little Landyn Melton was found frozen to death on the front porch.

A three-year-old boy froze to death after wandering out of his house in sub-zero temperatures on the night of his birthday.

Little Landyn Melton was found dead on the front porch of his home in Burke County in Northern Carolina in the USA.

His lbody was spotted early the next morning by a passing driver who called 911.

A funeral for the tragic toddler was held at 1pm at Burkemont Baptist Church Cemetery yesterday.
Local wsoctv.com reports that his obituary described him as a loving, happy little boy who lit up the room when he walked in.

It added that the toddler, who had turned three the day before, enjoyed playing, especially mowing with his toy mower.

The investigation into Landyn's death, being handled by the local Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division, is continuing.

One theory being worked on by investigators is that a storm door may have closed after the child got out.

Officials told Channel 9 News that they were called to a house on Hopewell Road at around 7:45am last Wednesday.

Investigators believe he died after being exposed to the freezing conditions for too long - after wandering out on his own.

The first police officer on the scene, a sheriff's deputy, said temperatures were in the mid-20 degrees fahrenheit (around -3C) - but he added that the strong winds made it feel much colder.

Wind chill is reported to have pushed temperatures to well below zero.

An autopsy carried out on Landyn's body on Thursday revealed there were no signs of trauma.
The Burke County Sheriff's Office is awaiting toxicology reports alongside results of other tests.
Police said the mother and her boyfriend slept through the incident, unaware what had happened.
Other family members are reportedly also in shock at the death - as well as members of the wider community.

Sheriff Steve Whisenant said: "When you come to a tragic situation like this, it is always heartbreaking for everybody involved, including the officers investigating the case, so our prayers go out to all the families."

One neighbour, Pat Williams, said: "Being a grandmother and a great grandmother, and that being my home place, it has touched me greatly.

"I'm sorry for everybody, and the whole community is praying for everybody."

Another neighbour, David Barrier, fought back tears, saying: "Just to hear what happened, it's just a tragedy.

“We've been praying for the family and hope things work out for them."

Source : UK Mirror