Missing Girl, 17, Likely Froze to Death After Driving Into a Ditch in Rural Wisconsin: Officials

Officials in Wisconsin believe they have found the remains of a missing teenager who likely froze to death in frigid temperatures.

Daniela Itzel Velazquez, 17, was last seen on foot Sunday near Blake Road in her hometown of Wrightstown, according to a missing person bulletin shard by the Brown County Sheriff's Office.

Capt. David Poteat said her mother reported her missing later that day after the teen's car was found abandoned in a ditch on Blake Road, per FOX affiliate WLUK-TV.

Officials "recovered a body" in a rural area of Wrightstown on Tuesday and believe it belonged to Velazquez, Poteat said at a press conference aired by the outlet.

The remains were found in a field off of Day Street, about a quarter mile away from where the vehicle was found in a ditch, according to the captain.

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Though a cause of death has not been confirmed, Poteat said officials believe Velazquez, who was wearing a sweatshirt and pajama pants at the time, died from hypothermia.

Brown County Sheriff's Office/Facebook

Temperatures that night hovered around 12 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chills around 4 degrees below zero, according to WLUK-TV and the Green Bay Press-Gazette. It was snowing, as well.

"She was definitely not dressed for the weather," Poteat told reporters, "and being outside in conditions, much like they are today, for any extended period of time is going to result in fatality in a short period of time."

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Velazquez's mother last saw her daughter at home around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, Poteat said. The last call on her phone was made about an hour later, he added.

"She was just driving around, which was basically what she told her mother before she left, was 'I'm going for a drive,' " the captain explained.

Velazquez's vehicle likely left the roadway and ended up in the ditch between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Sunday, according to the captain.

Her keys and wallet were still inside when a trooper came across her car in the ditch, Poteat said at Tuesday's press conference. Her shoes and phone were found outside the vehicle, he added.

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"It's hard to know what her thought process was," the captain told reporters.

Officials do not believe foul play was involved in Velazquez's death, Poteat told reporters. Instead, they believe she died in "a tragic accident."

"At this time, our sincere sympathy goes out to the family, Daniela's friends," the captain said. "It's a hard time for them, and they do ask for privacy during this time."