Toddler Found Dead On Porch

Burke County NC Deputies are investigating how a 3-year-old boy landed up dead outside a North Carolina home early Wednesday.

Authorities were called to the home in Burke County around 7:45 a.m. on Wednesday and found the toddler dead lying on the porch.

Someone driving by the home reportedly saw the child and called 911.

Investigators think the child, who had just turned 3 the day before, wandered outside for some time during the night and may have died as a result of exposure to the cold. Temperatures dropped to below zero overnight.

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

Investigators say that the front door was unlocked, however the boy may have been unable to open the storm door when it closed after him.

The child’s mother and her boyfriend were asleep inside the home at the time of the incident.

The name of the child has not been made known.