Fund established for toddler who died following snow accident
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IDAHO FALLS — An online fundraiser has been set up to help the east Idaho family of a two-year-old girl who died after a massive amount of snow buried her Friday, Feb. 26.
Halle Merrill, her seven-year-old sister and another seven-year-old girl were near a cabin in Mack’s Inn when authorities say snow and ice fell from the roof. Fremont County Sheriff Len Humphries says it took over 30 minutes to locate Halle.
All of the kids were flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical, where Halle died late Friday night.
Robert Clayton, a lifelong friend of Halle’s parents who now lives in Utah, says when he heard the news he decided set up a Fundly campaign.
“Our community wanted to do something to show our support of this amazing family,” Clayton tells EastIdahoNews.com. “The fund was a collective desire of many family and friends that wished to express the love we have for Halle and her family.”
Clayton says he will be opening a bank account in Halle’s honor and all money collected from the campaign will be directly deposited into the account.
“I wanted to give Chris and Cindy (Halle’s parents) the opportunity to have one less burden on their plate,” Clayton writes on the Fundly page. “Whether this money can help with the upcoming expenses, or be used as a way to memorialize Halle’s memory, it was a way for me to reach out from a distance and offer my love and support.”
The fundraiser has a goal of collecting $10,000. As of 3:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon, nearly $7,700 had been donated.
Officials say Halle’s older sister and the other seven-year-old are recovering and both are in fair condition.