Two Year Old Dies Outside in Snowbank

[Twisterdog]

What a horrible tragedy. And I have to ask, as the mother of a two year once .... HOW does a two year get out of the house? Do they not have locked doors? Deadbolts?



"NEW ULM, Minn. - A 2-year-old boy died after crawling out of bed next to his sleeping mother and wandering outside on a frigid night, authorities and the woman said.

Dara Lenz found the body of her son, Lucas Boldt, in a snowbank about 10 to 20 feet from her home and called police, who tried to revive him. The temperature was minus 9.

Lenz, 26, said she and Lucas went to sleep in her bed at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, but when she woke up Wednesday morning, he was no longer next to her. He wasn't in his room, and she raced outside and found him in the snow.

"I woke up into a nightmare," Lenz said. "This is nothing you want to wake up to. ... It's just not fair. ... He was my pride and joy."

It was unclear if the doors had been locked.

"I don't know how it happened," Lenz said. "He's never wandered away before."

Police don't suspect foul play, though Cmdr. Myron Weiland said Thursday they were still investigating."

[caseysmom]

I always locked doors so people wouldn't get in, who would have thought a 2 year old would wander outside like that, it is really bizarre.

[shepgirl]

I had a 2 yr old at one time...and I can't figure out how in heck the boy would get out of bed without waking the mom. And we always locked our doors too, not only to keep people out but for this exact reason of worrying that one of our children might sleepwalk or something.

[jackie]

Poor woman.

I know lots of little children that have escaped from under their parents noses, and none of them are negligent. What a tragedy.

[caseysmom]

Poor woman.

I know lots of little children that have escaped from under their parents noses, and none of them are negligent. What a tragedy.

I agree.

[Catty1]

The comments below that story on Yahoo - one's a spambot and the other is a total troll - but the disbelieving comments all come from people who have no children.

The ones who comment otherwise know only too well how very young kids can get through 'childproof' ANYTHING, often when they are way younger than the 'age limit' on the devices.

I don't know how the mom will live with this...I really really hope and pray that she can get the support to get by this, not to forget, but to live again.

[Cataholic]

As a mother of a 3 year old, things do happen. Maybe she hadn't slept well the night or two before? Maybe she had taken a cold remedy? Maybe she was on an all night bender? Who knows. But, stuff happens. They are called accidents, not 'purposefuls'.

I have put hotel locks on all my doors. Only an adult can reach them, and they are locked all the time. BUT, given the fact that I do have chairs in my house, and my son is over 3 feet tall, it isn't a fool-proof remedy. And, of course, human error (i.e., I forget to lock them).

Very, very sad.

[elizabethann]

OMG. That is so sad! That poor baby and that poor Mother!

[lizbud]

OMG. That is so sad! That poor baby and that poor Mother!

I agree. So tragic.

[sumbirdy]

That is so sad...

Little kids seem to be able to get in and out of almost anything. And I know that I don't always wake up when Nathan gets out of bed with me.

That's horrible for this mother to go through.

R.I.P Lucas

[moosmom]

My best friend's oldest daughter was a somnambulous, a sleepwalker. She actually had to put a deadbolt at the top of the door so she couldn't reach it. She eventually grew out of it. It's amazing how quick 2 year olds can be.

[ramanth]

Our friend's two year old was constantly unlocking the doors and letting herself out. They finally installed locks similar to what Cataholic described.

Such a sad tragedy.

[Jessika]

Well I personally know that two year olds are pretty smart... I know for a fact my brother in law definitely knew how to unlock not only the doorknob but also the deadbolt by the time he was two and would regularly sneak outside the house. I don't own children, but I have been around them enough to know that you can blink and they'll be gone. They are smart and fast little buggers.

It's a shame that this happened, but there are so many factors. The mother was sleeping, it wasn't like she was on the phone or playing on the computer or some other sort of activity that should not have had preference over watching her child. If a mother can't sleep...

I just feel awful for both the child AND his mother

I know when I finally have children, I will have locks on the doors like the ones described are are way too high for a young child to reach (incidentally, my parents also had a similar lock installed on their kitchen pantry door to prevent my sister from sneaking into it and stealing food and candy when she was younger... lol. My other sister and I caught on fast and would end up locking her inside it... we were evil children, I'll admit).