Toddler freezes to death in eastern Montana town

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Authorities say a 2-year-old boy somehow got outside of a relative's home in the eastern Montana town of Wibaux on Christmas Eve and died of exposure as family members slept.

Dawson County coroner Tyler Silha said Michael Morgan's body was found at about 6:30 a.m. Christmas Eve. The boy was taken to a hospital in Glendive, where he was pronounced dead.

"The little guy died due to exposure, due to the cold temperatures," Silha said. "He just happened to walk outside. Nobody is at fault. It was a just a freak accident."

The coroner said he did not know how long the toddler was outside.

The National Weather Service said temperatures at the time were 15 degrees below zero in the small town, which is near the Montana-North Dakota border.

The boy and his parents, Mike and Ashley Morgan, ages 26 and 25, had traveled from Milan, Ill., to spend Christmas with family.

"We know that Michael is in a much better place and is looking down upon us and is happy," said Tom Fennelly, the boy's maternal grandfather who traveled to Montana from Davenport, Iowa, after learning of the death. "We are just going to take one day at a time."