Coroner: Twin Cities man found in Carlton County died of exposure by dementia, mini-strokes

An elderly man from the Twin Cities area whose body was found in Carlton County on March 1 died of exposure caused by dementia and mini-strokes, according to the Carlton County coroner.

The death of Gerald Patrick Maloney, 81, of Minnetonka, was ruled accidental. He had been missing since Feb. 27.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Maloney left his home about 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 27 to go to an auto-repair shop. He never arrived, and his wife reported him missing at 6:30 p.m. that day. Minnetonka police told KSTP-TV that Maloney may have been confused because of memory problems.

A snowmobiler called Carlton County 911 about 7:40 p.m. March 1 after discovering an abandoned vehicle on a snowmobile trail in the Clear Creek area. The vehicle was about a half-mile up the trail from West Center Road, about 1½ miles from state Highway 23 and about 15 miles east of Moose Lake. Deputies found Maloney’s body outside the car.

He had been there since before the Feb. 29 storm, Carlton County Sheriff Kelly Lake said.

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