3-Year-Old Toddler Freezes to Death in Toronto, Canada After Going Outside in Winter Weather
The family of Elijah Marsh, the 3-year-old Toronto boy who froze to death after wandering outside on a bitterly cold morning last week, has invited the public to attend the little boy's funeral on Thursday.
The little boy died last Thursday after he managed to leave out of his grandparents' apartment building unnoticed wearing only a diaper, T-shirt and boots around 4:05 a.m. His grandparents reported him missing after they discovered that he was gone around 7:30 a.m. that same morning.
After a massive community search, two volunteers found Elijah huddled up to an air conditioner unit about 1,000 away from the apartment building around 10:30 a.m., reports the New York Daily News. He was then rushed to a hospital where he died a short time later.
According to CTV News, he likely spent up to six hours outside while the temperature ranged between 1 and 2 degrees Fahrenheit.
Surveillance footage shows the boy standing in the building lobby and looking up at the door handle. However, the door slammed and locked behind him once he pushed it open and went outside.
Following Elijah's tragic death, thousands of people donated money via an online crowdfunding campaign, raising nearly $175,000 to cover the funeral costs.
"I appreciate the time you have given me, but now it's time to say thank you for your donations," Elijah's mother, Georgette Marsh, said in a statement on Monday, according to CTV News.
"It is surreal and I am overwhelmed with appreciation and gratitude. I know so many people, people who don't know (my son), love him and feel for me," she said.
The public will be allowed to attend Elijah's visitation, funeral and burial services. The visitation will be held at Vescio Funeral Home, located at 2080 Dufferin St., on Thursday starting at 2 p.m. The funeral service will be held at St. Matthew's United Church, located at 729 St. Clair Ave. West, at 11 a.m. Saturday, while the burial will take place at the Prospect Cemetery, located at 1450 St. Clair Ave. West.
Toronto Mayor John Tory has also expressed his condolences to the family saying, "As a father and as a grandfather, you just can't imagine what that family is going through dealing with this whole thing -- from beginning to wherever it ends."
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