New York Man Found Frozen To Death On Street As Winter Storm Pummels US

A man in Buffalo, New York, was found frozen to death on his 56th birthday as a winter storm pummeled the city on Christmas Eve, his family said.

Relatives of William Clay identified him as the person who was found lying face down in the snow at Bailey and Kensington avenues in Erie County Saturday morning, the New York Post reported.

"I am the sister of the gentleman that lost his life during the 2022 Blizzard on 12/24/2022," Clay's sister, Sophia Clay, wrote on a GoFundMe page trying to raise money for the deceased man's burial expenses.

"My brother unexpectedly lost his life on his birthday," she added.

William, who reportedly had a mental illness, was "found frozen" after he "went to the store," according to Laura LaShomb, another relative.

The 56-year-old, who frequented a nearby 7-Eleven in Bailey, was discovered less than a mile from where he lived, Sophia noted.

He may have not been on his medication, LaShomb said.

Prior to the discovery of William's body, Sophia announced that her brother was missing in a Saturday Facebook post.

Buffalo police have not officially released the identity of the person featured in the video circulating online, but it was confirmed by Channel 2 that they were the third death in the most recent blizzard to hit the city.

Officers are still coordinating efforts to retrieve the body, according to the outlet.

An autopsy will be needed to determine the cause of their death.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz confirmed that 13 people in Buffalo have died as of Sunday due to the winter storm, which has been dubbed "the Blizzard of 2022," Reuters reported.

Some of the latest victims were found in cars, while others were discovered in snow banks.

The death tally would likely rise further, according to Poloncarz.

"This is not the Christmas any of us hoped for nor expected. My deepest condolences to the families who have lost loved ones," the official said in a tweet.

Thousands of homes in Buffalo have been also been left without power as a result of the blizzard.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called the snowstorm an "epic, once-in-a-lifetime" weather disaster that ranked as the fiercest winter storm to hit the greater Buffalo area since a blizzard killed nearly 30 people in 1977.

Across the United States, at least 37 people have died as winter weather blasted much of the country, CNN reported.