Abandoned 5-Year-Old Carried Toddler Through Subzero Cold

A 5-year-old child carrying a toddler trekked half a mile through subzero temperatures to neighbors in Alaska after they were left home alone and became frightened, authorities said.

The children were treated for cold-related injuries on Tuesday after leaving their house in the village of Venetie, south of the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve, where temperatures at the time had dipped down to 31 degrees below zero, Alaska State Troopers said in a news release Friday .

The oldest child, who carried the 18-month-old while wearing only socks and light clothing, said they became scared and left the home after the power went out.

A welfare check was performed by state troopers who chartered an aircraft to reach the remote village. A woman named Julie Peter was later arrested on one count of endangering the welfare of a minor in the first degree.

Peter is accused of abandoning the children in her home with no adult supervision. Authorities did not say how she is related or knew the children.

Online records show she is no longer in custody.