Autopsies were pending today on the bodies of a woman and her year-old son, but police said foul play was not believed involved in the deaths of the pair, who were found in her Hollywood apartment with her surviving toddler son.
Officers went to the family’s apartment in the 1600 block of North Fuller Avenue about 3 p.m. Monday to investigate a report of a child screaming, LAPD Officer Matt Ludwig said.
The landlord had become concerned and called 911. The surviving 2-year-old was taken to a hospital for treatment of dehydration and was listed in stable condition. He may have been alone in the apartment for as long as several days.
“The two brothers had just been adopted by the woman,” Ludwig said.
Autopsies were pending to confirm the cause of the deaths, but NBC4 and the Los Angeles Times both reported the 43-year-old mother had recently been hospitalized for breathing difficulties and had been diagnosed with bronchitis.
Authorities believe she died of natural causes, and the baby choked on food she had been feeding him, an officer at the LAPD’s Hollywood Station said. The woman was found on the floor, and the baby in a chair.
The toddler was placed in the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services, which will make arrangements to place him in an adoptive home, Ludwig said.
The names of the woman and the year-old boy were withheld pending notification of family members, said coroner’s Assistant Chief Ed Winter.
