3-Year-Old Boy Found Dead in the Snow by His Father Shortly After He Was Reported Missing

A 3-year-old boy was found dead in the snow in Maine last weekend, shortly after he was reported missing.

The Maine State Police is investigating the death of the toddler after he was found dead on Exeter Road in the town of Corinna on Sunday, Jan. 12, a police spokesperson told PEOPLE.

A family member — who identified the child as her nephew — called 911 around 8:30 a.m. local time that day to report the boy missing, before his father found him “outside in the snow” a distance from the family’s home, police said.

EMS arrived at the scene, but the child — whose identity has not been shared — ultimately died of his injuries, which appeared to be “consistent with exposure to the elements,” per the Maine State Police.

The boy’s death is still being investigated by the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit North. A cause and manner of death will be determined by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta following an autopsy.

The Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Health and Human Services assisted with the investigation, the state police said.

Authorities said they believe the toddler’s death was an isolated incident. A spokesperson for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services told NBC affiliate WCSH that “the loss of a child is devastating and tragic,” before they expressed their condolences to “the family and those impacted.”

Following the child’s death, CBS affiliate WABI cited a social media post, reportedly from the child’s mother, stating that she woke up on Jan. 12 to find her child was missing.

According to the outlet, the woman wrote that the home’s door was previously kicked open by another family member and had been kept closed with a bolt.

She reportedly also wrote that the child’s father has since been hospitalized because “this loss in our home has destroyed him to [the] point he wants to take his own life,” WABI reported.

A spokesperson for the Maine State Police told PEOPLE on Jan. 18 that it would not comment on the social media post, citing the “active and ongoing investigation.”

According to WABI and local outlet WMTW, a GoFundMe campaign has since been set up for the family, asking for assistance covering “expenses” for the child’s “memorial, cremation and any uncovered medical bills.”

The fundraising page described the child as “a strong loving caring funny happy little boy.” It also called the loss “sudden and unexpected” for the family, which includes the young child’s two sisters.