New Jersey woman freezes to death after walking home from a neighbors house

A New Jersey woman froze to death just outside of her home as temperatures plunged into the single digits over the weekend, officials said Sunday.

Police in New Jersey said the 66-year-old woman was found frozen to death in the snow near her home on Sunday morning. Benito was last seen at a neighbor's house, where she stopped to have a few drinks after attending a benefit at an Elk's Club in Lakewood, New Jersey.

"We found no outward signs of trauma or any signs of foul play at this time," said Ocean County prosecutor spokesman Al Della Fave.

Della Fave said the exact cause of death is under investigation by the medical examiner to see if any health issues were to blame.

The preliminary investigation found no outward signs of trauma or foul play. Lakewood police, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office and the Ocean County Sheriff's Department's CSI are waiting for the results of an autopsy from the Ocean County Medical Examiner's Office, he said.

In New Jersey, authorities have warned residents to stay in their homes with wind chills that forecasters described as "potentially life threatening."

"Hazardous wind chills could cause frost bite and possibly hypothermia if exposed to for more than a brief period of time," the National Weather Service noted.

Olivia Benito was not the only casualty of the bitter cold condition in New Jersey. In Sayreville, a 19-year-old driver was left in critical condition after crashing his car during a heavy snowfall.