Mother calls 911 after finding girl in cold

Toddler wandered outside with temps in teens.

“She’s frozen! She’s AKRON — frozen!”

An Akron mother screamed these words in anguish to a 911 dispatcher Friday afternoon after finding her 2-year-old daughter unresponsive outside in the cold on the porch of their Ellet apartment.

The 911 dispatcher calmly instructed the woman on performing CPR. The mother followed her directions until paramedics arrived and rushed the girl to Akron Children’s Hospital.

It was too late, though. The girl, whose name was Wynter Parker, later died at the hospital.

Detectives say the mother left Wynter with the girl’s father at the family’s apartment while she left for about two hours with her 4-yearold son.

The father works a night shift and fell asleep, according to authorities.

The 2-year-old wandered outside and was found by the mother when she returned home, police say.

Temperatures in Akron on Friday ranged between 12 and 19 degrees, according to AccuWeather.

The Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office did an autopsy Monday and results are pending. The girl’s death remains under investigation. No charges have been filed.

A small makeshift memorial of stuffed animals was on the porch of the family’s multi-unit apartment building Monday afternoon. No one inside opened the door or responded to a note left by the Beacon Journal/Ohio. com seeking comment.

The mother made her frantic 911 call about 3:30 p.m. She said the girl left and went outside. The dispatcher asked how long she was outside.

“I have no idea!” the mother responded.

The dispatcher took the woman through the steps of performing CPR, while assuring her that paramedics were en route.

“What’s taking so long?” the mother asked at one point.

“You’re doing well,” the dispatcher told her. “Keep going.”

“Oh my God!” the mother screamed. “I don’t know...”

While unwilling to discuss Wynter’s death specifically, Akron Children’s Hospital officials provided some winter-safety tips for parents with young children.

Heather Trnka, the hospital’s injury prevention supervisor, said frostbite can start on exposed skin in 30 minutes when the temperature is 0 degrees, with hypothermia setting in simultaneously.

“That is one of the things parents don’t quite realize,” Trnka said. “That happens much quicker for our little ones.”

Parents should make sure children wear layers of clothes when they go outside in the cold and monitor how long they are out.

“It’s important they come inside to prevent hypothermia and frostbite,” Trnka said.