Boy Tragically Killed After a Snow Fort Built With His Best Friend Collapsed

After a snowstorm hit Greenwich, NY, Joshua Demarest and his best friend, Tyler Day, went out to play. The boys suited up in their Winter layers and grabbed their sleds, before the 13-year-old and 12-year-old neighbors found a snow bank that they turned into a fort. Unfortunately, this playful afternoon turned into a tragic night after their newly made igloo collapsed on the boys.

Police said that after the boys turned the snow bank into a fort, they crawled inside but the structure fell and trapped the children. When the boys didn't return home at dusk, they were reported missing. Searchers followed their tracks in the snow and stopped at a spot where they found a sled. According to Greenwich Police Chief George Bell, officers began frantically digging and removed seven tons of snow before discovering the boys.

Joshua was taken to a local hospital, where he later died, and Tyler is recovering from hypothermia. Although the accident is still being investigated, it is believed that a public works crew might have dumped snow on the structure as they were clearing sidewalks, leading to the collapse.

"We know (the boys) burrowed into the backside of the snow bank to make a fort, like all kids do," Bell said.

In a press conference, Bell said that Tyler described hearing a beeping sound before "the next thing you know it went black." He also added that this wasn't the only tragedy that Joshua's family experienced that day. His grandmother died in New Jersey around the same time that the kids went out to play, which is where his mom was when she learned about the accident.