Buffalo NY Man, William 'Romello' Clay, Found Dead Frozen On Street During Heavy Winter Storm

Buffalo NY man found dead frozen on street during heavy winter storm.

A 56 year-old father has been identified as the first victim of the historic winter storm that has frozen much of the US, after apparently freezing to death on a Buffalo street.

William ‘Romello’ Clay had been missing since midnight on Dec 23 after leaving his home in treacherous winter conditions to get to a store, according to loved ones.

A devastating video of a dead man lying face down in the snow at Bailey and Kensington Avenue emerged in the late afternoon of Christmas Eve. Those remains were later identified as Clay’s ,with his family pleading for people to avoid sharing the macabre clip. A post appealing for help prior to the news of his death revealed that Clay might not have been on his medication when he left home, although further details of underlying health conditions have not been shared.

Video shared Saturday night showed that Buffalo is still being pummeled by snow. More than a foot has fallen so far, although wind whipping off Lake Erie has created huge drifts rising as high as the rooflines of some local single-story houses.

Clay is one of three people known to have died in Buffalo. The other two victims, still unidentified, are believed to have passed away because first responders were unable to reach them during medical emergencies, details of which have not been shared.

A total of 32 people have been killed by the historic storm across the US, although that figure is likely to rise further, with many people left trapped in homes without heating or electricity for days.

Tributes flowed across Facebook for the devastating loss to the community. His son, Jules Clay, who goes by Cadean, posted saying that the pain of the loss had floored him.

‘This pain is overwhelming. I can’t stop crying. Grateful I spoke to him and told him I love him yesterday,’ he wrote. ‘This is our friend that lost his life during the blizzard on his birthday,’ one friend wrote.

‘RIP to Romello the man that was found dead on Bailey & Kensington. May your soul rest in paradise soldier,’ wrote another.

Earlier posts from family, pleaded for any information on Romello’s whereabouts.

‘Our brother is missing. From area around Rounds and Bailey. He frequents 7 Eleven on Bailey. If he comes to your door please help him,’ wrote one relative.

Hours later, she revealed he was found dead and set up a GoFundMe to cover his funeral expenses.

“I am the sister of the gentleman that lost his life during the 2022 Blizzard on 12/24/2022,” she wrote on the fundraising page.

“My brother unexpectedly lost his life on his Birthday,” she added.

Another relative, Laura LaShomb, informed friends and family on family on Facebook that Clay was “found frozen” after he “went to the store.”

LaShomb said Clay suffered a mental illness and may have not been on his medication.

According to Sophie, Clay lived less than a mile from where his body was found. Clay’s son, Jules, said he spoke to his father before his death and was able to tell him he loved him.

“This pain is overwhelming. I can’t stop crying,” Jules wrote on Facebook.

An autopsy will need to be conducted to determine the official cause of death.

Clay was one of three storm-related deaths reported since Gov. Kathy Hochul’s state of emergency went into effect Friday morning.

Two people in Cheektowaga died after first responders could not get to them in time after they suffered “emergency medical events.”

The storm dropped a record 22 inches of snow was Friday, shattering the previous daily snowfall record of 12.6 inches set in 1976, the National Weather Service said Saturday.

The intense conditions are expected to remain steady through Monday.