2 children found walking alone in suburbs hospitalized for cold exposure

Photo by Jonathan Knepper via Unsplash

Two children were taken to a hospital for cold-related injuries after they were found walking around outside alone Wednesday afternoon in unincorporated northwest suburban Arlington Heights.

The 3-year-old boy and 5-year-old girl were found near an apartment building in the 4000 block of Bonhill Drive, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

Both children were crying and their skin was red from being out in the cold. One of the children was not properly dressed for the weather, the sheriff’s office said.

The boy and girl were taken to Northwest Community Hospital to be treated for injuries related to extreme cold exposure, the sheriff’s office said.

The children’s parents had been located, the sheriff’s office said. As of about 6 p.m. Wednesday, no charges had been filed.

At 2:10 p.m., when the children were found walking around, the temperature was minus-16 degrees with a windchill of minus-40 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.