CONROE, Texas - An 11-year-old boy in Texas died in his sleep, and it may have been caused by hypothermia after the family's home lost power. He is among the youngest of the almost 60 deaths attributed to the extreme cold temperatures gripping the south.
Cristian Pavon was sleeping late Tuesday under a pile of blankets, his mother, Maria Elisa Pineda, believed. She told Univision her son was known to be a late sleeper.
But when she nudged him, Cristian didn’t move. They called 911 and started CPR on the boy. He was pronounced dead Tuesday afternoon.
Investigators say the family’s mobile home had been without power for a few days as temperatures dipped to single digits overnight, according to the Washington Post.
His mother said the night before her son seemed fine, telling the media Cristian had dinner, played and then went to bed. During the night, the family told KTRK, Cristian’s stepfather woke up briefly, checked on the boys to make sure they were OK, and went back to sleep.
Cristian shared a bed with his younger sibling, who is reportedly OK.
Investigators are performing an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
The family plans to send Cristian’s body back to his home country of Honduras for burial. He came to Texas in 2019 to reunite with his mother.
