Harlem boy dies of hypothermia, second death in two weeks

A 17-year-old Harlem boy who died of hypothermia was found in a field along U.S. Highway 2 near mile marker 426 Thursday morning, the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.

Jeremy Tincher was last seen alive walking along the highway between Harlem and Fort Belknap Wednesday night, Blaine County Undersheriff Frank Billmayer said in a press release.

“He was not appropriately dressed for the extremely cold temperatures and he succumbed to hypothermia and exposure,” the press release says.

Tincher’s body was transported to the Montana State Medical Examiner in Billings for autopsy where hypothermia was confirmed as the cause of death. Alcohol may have been a contributing factor in Tincher’s death, the press release says.

Temperatures near Harlem sank to below minus 20-degrees early Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Tincher was a Harlem High School student. A school representative said this morning that he was a good student.

Tincher’s family could not be reached for comment.

The Blaine County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate Tincher’s death.

Tincher’s death is the second in as many weeks in Blaine County as a result of hypothermia. Antonio Castillo Jr. was found dead of hypothermia Dec. 29 in a trailer on the Fort Belknap reservation. Castillo’s death is being investigated by the FBI.

The Blaine County Sheriff’s Office extended its deepest condolences “to the family and community for the loss of this young man and advises community members to take these frigid temperatures seriously and dress accordingly,” the release says. “Disorientation and death can occur in a matter of minutes when outside temperatures are so cold.”