Buffalo, New York (CNN) — Casey Maccarone’s mom was always something of a superwoman, but even so, when Monique Alexander decided to go out on Christmas Eve, Maccarone was concerned.
It would have been an easy decision any other day, but a blizzard was brewing that would leave some areas of western New York under more than 4 feet of snow.
Maccarone was already feeling anxious seeing Facebook notifications regarding store closures, she told CNN.
Monique Alexander (right) had been through heavy storms before and walked everywhere, said her daughter Casey Maccarone (left). (Courtesy of Casey Maccarone)
But his mother wanted out and Alexander, 52, said he would be back soon and left without mentioning where he was going. Maccarone, who has lived with Alexander since August, said she assumed her mother was trying to get to the stores before they closed.
Alexander, 52, never returned. His body was discovered a few meters from his house.
“We were waiting for her to come home. However, I knew something was wrong straight away, so I accepted it instantly, but it’s hard to know that she was out for that long too, because the emergency services weren’t allowed out,” Maccarone said, speaking outside his family home this Wednesday.
Alexander had been through heavy storms before, and he walked everywhere.
“She always felt like an invincible superwoman, so I’m assuming she thought she might handle it,” Maccarone said. “I mightn’t really say anything to my mom, she would do whatever she wants to do. I assume she just thought she was strong enough for it.”
Alexander left around 3 p.m. After a few hours, Maccarone posted a message regarding his mother to a Facebook group for Buffalo residents coping with the increasingly dire weather. About 15 minutes later, a stranger texted her and described her mother’s coat and blue jeans. She confirmed that she was Alexander and asked if she had seen her.
“Can I call you?” the stranger asked Maccarone.
Once on the video call, he immediately collapsed. The man told him that he was stranded and that he was walking when he saw Alexander in the snow. He pulled her body out of her elements and put her under the awning of a business where she wasn’t buried under the snow.
Later, the National Guard would recover his body. Alexander is among at least 37 people who have died in Erie County, 17 of whom were found outside, authorities said, though they add the total will almost certainly rise.
Maccarone said the family lost their rock and someone they might call on for everything.
“My children lost their grandmother, and that was their most important role in their life…to be a good grandmother,” she said. “And now they only have memories.”
