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Illinois girl, 3, dies from cold after falling out of window

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — A 3-year-old Illinois girl died Tuesday after she apparently fell from a window on a frigid night and was unable to get back inside her family’s home, authorities said.

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According to a preliminary autopsy report, Charlotte Handelmann, of Rock Island, died from hypothermia, the Dispatch-Argus reported.

The girl, nicknamed “Charlie,” apparently fell out of a second-story window between 11 p.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday, when she was found outside, the newspaper reported.

Rock Island police were called to the residence after a fire department was called for an unconscious child. The girl was pronounced dead at an area hospital.

“It’s being investigated as nothing more than a tragic accident,” Brian Gustafson, Rock Island County coroner, told the Dispatch-Argus. “She was a beautiful little girl. It’s absolutely tragic.”