Robert Aragon Charged with Murder of 11-Year-Old Hypothermia Victim

Robert Aragon, the father of an 11-year-old girl who died of hypothermia after attempting to walk 10 miles in the snow, was charged with second-degree murder and felony injury to a child Tuesday.

The Associated Press reported that Aragon, 55, had been taking his two children, Sage and her 12-year-old brother, Bear, to their mother's home on Christmas Day when his truck got stuck in a snow drift in south-central Idaho.

Authorities stated that after the truck was caught, Aragon told the children to walk to their mother's house while he and another adult stayed behind to try to free the vehicle. The children's mother, JoLeta Jenks, called Aragon because she was worried when no one arrived at her home. According to Jenks, Aragon had returned to his home in Jerome after letting the children out. He had never called Jenks to let her know that the children were walking to her house.

A search and rescue team found Bear at a rest area, wearing only long underwear. The boy had discarded the rest of his clothes in a delusion from hypothermia. The rest area was 4.5 miles from where the children began walking. According to the boy, he and his sister had disagreed whether to keep walking or to turn back. Sage turned back.

Her body was found 2.7 miles from where the two began walking. The Associated Press reported that preliminary autopsy results showed she died of hypothermia. Officials reported that the temperatures in the area at the time the children were missing ranged from 27 degrees above zero to minus 5, with the snow being described by adults as being knee-deep for them.

Hypothermia is defined by Medicine for Mountaineering as "a decrease in the core body temperature to a level at which normal muscular and cerebral functions are impaired." According to the Princeton Outdoor Action Guide, hypothermia can be caused by a variety of factors:

Cold temperatures

Improper clothing and equipment

Wetness

Fatigue, exhaustion

Dehydration

Poor food intake

Alcohol intake

If you and others find yourselves traveling in cold weather conditions and are exposed to the elements, be aware of the signs and symptoms of hypothermia:

Mild hypothermia can cause shivering that is not under voluntary control, an inability to perform complex motor functions (but can still walk and talk) and vasoconstriction to periphery. The core temperature will be between 98.6 and 96 degrees F.

Moderate hypothermia causes dazed consciousness, loss of fine motor coordination (especially in the hands) due to restricted blood flow, slurred speech, violent shivering, irrational behavior and an "I don't care" attitude. The core temperature will be between 95-93 degrees F.

Severe hypothermia causes shivering in waves (violent, then pause, eventually with the pauses getting longer until shivering ceases), person falls to the ground and can't walk or curls into the fetal position, muscle rigidity develops, skin is pale, pupils dilate, pulse rate decreases. Core temperature is between 92-86 degrees and below.

For more information on how to treat hypothermia, see here.

Girl Dies on Cold Walk; Dad Charged With Murder, Associated Press

Rick Curtis, Outdoor Action Guide to Hypothermia and Cold Weather Injuries, Princeton.edu