More than $ 68,000 was raised for a Texan boy after he died of suspected hypothermia after playing in the snow during the winter storm.
A GoFundMe has been created in honor of Cristian Pavón Pineda, 11, who died Tuesday in the family’s unheated garage in Conroe, Texas, just north of Houston.
‘Due to low temperatures in the Conroe area, this family was without electricity for two days. The early morning of February 16 dropped to 12 degrees, “reads a statement on the GoFundMe page.
Cristian was found lifeless. We are trying to raise money to transfer the body to Honduras. “His wish was to see his grandparents again and that’s what the mother wants to fulfill, please help with everything you can to hopefully achieve this, God bless you,” the statement continued.
Initially, only $ 5,000 was requested from the public, and Cristian’s tragic death caused an influx of donations that now exceed $ 68,000 for the family.
Investigators were still trying to determine the cause of the child’s death, but his family believed it was due to hypothermia. Like millions of other Texans, they were left without power for several days during the winter storm.
According to Univision, Cristian first came to the United States in 2019 to reunite with his mother, whom he had not seen for more than a year.
On Monday, the child was playing in the snow amid the winter storm, as it was the first time he had ever seen snow. His mother even took videos of the moment the young boy, dressed in a red jacket, was playing outside.
“Everything was fine,” said María Elisa Pineda, Cristian’s mother Houston Chronicle. “He was happy that day. He was not sick at all. ”
But the next day, Cristian was found dead under a stack of blankets after his family initially thought he was sleeping.
The cold that has hit several states, including Texas, has killed at least 47 people in the United States. According to Texas, the death toll in Texas is 30 people The Washington Post.
One 75-year-old man from Texas has died of hypothermia after going outside to retrieve an oxygen tank from his truck. Then a 60-year-old man from Abilene, Texas, apparently froze to death in his chair with his wife next to him. The woman was taken to hospital, officials said.
At least five people have died from carbon monoxide poisoning after trying to sleep in their car to stay warm, The Washington Post reports. One grandmother and three children died in a house fire in Sugar Land, Texas, in their attempt to stay warm.
The winter storm has since passed with temperatures rising in Texas. But it has left a food and water shortage for residents across the country, as well as frustration over the failed electrical system that has caused days-long disruptions in homes.
President Joe Biden on Saturday approved emergency relief in Texas to help the state recover from the winter storm.