Elderly Couple Found Buried In Snow After Massive Winter Storm

An elderly couple was found dead Friday, buried in snow following a massive winter storm in Arizona, a statement from the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said.

The couple, identified as Richard Alexander, 74, and his wife, Elizabeth Alexander, 79, were residents of Ash Fork, a rural community west of Flagstaff. Their bodies were discovered a few minutes' walk away from home.

"A PRELIMINARY finding shows no evidence of foul play and a strong likelihood the pair, a man and woman in their 70's, died from exposure to the environment," the statement said. “Further updates are pending the medical examiner’s report.”

The bodies of the couple were discovered around noon on Friday by Michael Haas and his wife Diane. Haas and his wife were driving their pickup truck out of their gate, when they saw the peculiar sight, two people — a male and a female — lying on top of mostly melted snow.

They refrained from touching the bodies and called 911. According to Haas, the couple was covered in snow for an entire week, as other residents in the neighborhood saw the old couple’s car, which abandoned a mile away from where they were found, for a week.

"It is possible snow kept their bodies from view for a period of time," police said in their statement.

Haas theorized that their car got stuck in the snow during the winter storm that hit the area the previous week and they tried to walk to escape the cold.

"My house was the only light they could see. They tried to make it to our house and made it within 100 yards," Haas told CNN.

"I think when people travel and it's in bad weather, they should have blankets, phone chargers, emergency equipment in their vehicle," he added.