A 38-year-old New York City woman, 38, and her eight-year-old son were found dead inside their Bronx apartment, which was infested with bugs and in terrible living conditions. The woman, who reportedly suffered from severe mental illness, and her son, a reported severely autistic boy, were survived by a 4-year-old girl, who screamed for help for days inside the apartment, as per police.
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According to the New York Post, the scene was discovered on Friday, April 18, at around 8:30 p.m. While many residents at the East 23rd Street building complained, it was only when the woman's older daughter arrived to check on them that the horrifying scene was discovered. This was motivated by the children's grandfather, who had not heard from them in a while.
The woman's older daughter discovered the bodies of her mother and her brother inside the home and immediately called 911. During the call, as per police, she detailed a foul stench coming from the apartment as well as the presence of bugs. Reportedly, the foul odor coming from the apartment had been going on for about a month.
The bugs, in particular, were crawling on the child's body. Additionally, it was reported that the girl had been screaming for help for days before she was found. It is unclear how long the mother and her son remained dead inside the apartment. It is possible that they could've died a while ago, given the stench coming from the apartment reported by other residents. During the whole time, it is believed that the 4-year-old girl spent days with the bodies by herself.
Local police detailed that there were no signs of trauma in either the woman's or her son's bodies.
A Troubled Woman
While the case is currently being investigated, some troubling statements made by fellow residents shed light on what might have taken place inside the apartment.
One neighbor, as per the Post, said that the mother appeared to be suicidal. Moreover, at one point, the woman had gone to the building's roof alongside her son years ago. A neighbor named Sharlene said that she "wanted to commit suicide with the boy." Moreover, Sharlene claims that the mother said at one point that she was "going to kill everybody on the block."
The mother was arrested in June 2021 on child abandonment charges. She was allegedly acting erratically with her then-infant daughter in a stroller. The woman allegedly lit a wig on fire on White Plains Road, which led to her arrest. The case was then sealed, as per the Post.
