Exposure to the cold killed a 55-year-old man who walked away from his car after it got stuck in the snow west of the Twin Cities, a medical examiner has ruled.

The man, a victim of hypothermia, was identified Tuesday by the Midwest medical examiner's office as Garry A. Kontz, 55, of Stewart, Minn.

The McLeod County Sheriff's Office said it was notified Monday that Kontz had been missing since the night before, when temperatures and windchills were well below zero.

Sheriff's deputies and firefighters from Stewart found Kontz's body late Monday morning along a rural road south of town and about 2 miles from his disabled car.

Some motorists in many parts of the state were forced to spend Sunday night in shelters, as blizzard-like conditions closed portions of the interstates and highways.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482