The Carlton County coroner said Wednesday exposure caused the death of an elderly Twin Cities man found on a snowmobile trail last week.

Gerald Maloney, 81, of Minnetonka, died of exposure caused by dimentia and mini-strokes, the Duluth News Tribune said.  The death was ruled accidental.  He had been missing since Feb. 27.

According to the Star Tribune, Maloney left his home about 11:30 a.m. to go to an auto-repair shop.  He never arrived, and his wife reported him missing at 6:30 p.m. that evening.

Minnetonka police told KSTP-TV that Maloney may have been confused because of memory problems, The Republic said.

A snowmobiler called 911 about 7:40 p.m. March 1 after discovering an abandoned car on the trail in the Clear Creek area. 

Maloney had been at the scene since before a Feb. 29 storm, Carlton County Sheriff Kelly Lake said.