On Tuesday, December 3, an abandoned five-year-old child carried an eighteen-month-old baby through subzero temperatures in the Yukon Flats of Alaska.

The pair were travelling after a power outage struck their home, where both individuals were left alone. The power outage elicited fear within the five-year-old child, who then carried the eighteen-month-old child for one mile to another home located in Venetie, Alaska.

At that time, temperatures in the region dropped to 31 degrees below zero, which caused both individuals to acquire unspecified injuries due to the freezing cold temperatures.

Due to the isolated region of the community, which has a total population of 166 individuals as well as being located 150 miles north of the Fairbanks, troopers had released a search plane in order to discover and rescue both children. Although the search lasted between twelve to sixteen hours, the troopers were fortunate that they “were confident that the children were in good hands because a neighbor had taken them in and [they] had spoken with the neighbor,” stated Ken Marsh, a spokesperson for the Alaska State Department of Public Safety.

Once both the children were discovered, an investigation opened, which led to the arrest of Julie Peter, 37, who is currently not confirmed to be related to the children. Within the investigation, it has also not been confirmed by officials if the children were in relation to one another. According to officials, Peter was charged with endangering the welfare of a minor, considering the investigation revealed that Peter had left both children at her home without the supervision of an adult.