Boy toddler dies alone in apartment days after his mother's death

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10227360

Published Wednesday | January 9, 2008
Boy dies alone days after his mother
BY JASON KUIPER
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

A toddler may have wandered around an Omaha apartment for days after his mother's death, foraging for food. But the 21-month-old didn't survive long enough for help to arrive.

Police found the bodies of Janelle Browning and Ezekiel Berry on Monday at the Drake Court Apartments near 21st and Leavenworth Streets.

Police were working to determine how the 43-year-old woman and her son died, although foul play was not suspected.

Capt. Mary Newman said police were called Monday after a friend of Browning alerted apartment managers that Browning hadn't been seen for several weeks. When apartment officials checked the apartment, they found her dead inside.

A Tuesday autopsy found no outward signs of trauma, Newman said. Police were hoping that once toxicology results come back, they will have answers about how the two died.

Newman said police could not say who died first, but people with knowledge of the investigation said the mother was believed to have been dead for several days before the child died.


FULL story at link.

[Zywiec]

1. Very sad. What a horrible way for a child to spend it's last days. n/t

[Xipe Totec]

2. What a horrible way for a child to die

This is just heart breaking.

[Hoof Hearted]

3. That is awful. Couldn't anyone hear the poor little guy? Just. Damn. n/t

[AlCzervik]

4. omg there are no words.

:cry:

[TwilightGardener]

5. How sad. I was always afraid of this when I was alone with my babies

and my husband was deployed on the other side of the world--that I would hit my head or have a heart attack and then my babies would slowly starve. How truly awful.

[LynzM]

6. This was always an irrational fear of mine, as well.

:hug: It's a terrible thing to imagine, as a parent. (Edited to add that I don't think your fear was irrational, just that mine was, as my husband was never stationed anywhere or away for that long.)

[TwilightGardener]

9. Actually, I thought it WAS irrational too, until now!

Sometimes your worst fears come true, for someone, somewhere, I guess. Geez, it's just hauntingly sad.

[Debi]

7. Me too, when I was a single mom

I asked my neighbor to check in on me and Debi, Jr. when she'd come/go (we did the same for each other, but she had an older child as well).

Now, even though Debi, Jr. is older - when Mr. Debi is away I still worry about 'what if I don't wake up in the morning' x(

Poor baby, what a sad story.

[TwilightGardener]

11. Yep--my kids are adolescents now (12 and 13), but even as I speak

my husband is away on a routine mission, and I often don't know where he is, and I worry about getting into a bad wreck and no one will be able to track him down--but my kids are starve-proof now and can call for help from friends and relatives, at least. This poor lady and child are just an example of how dangerous social isolation can be.

[VelmaD]

12. I wasn't going to comment on this thread...

because it's too raw for me...but your point on social isolation struck a chord for me. I wonder sometimes, since I live alone, if something happened to me would anyone really care about me or would they just be upset that my cat was left alone and starved to death.

[AlCzervik]

13. same thing with my daughter, she's 13 and can fend for herself ok but my husband

is out of the country more than he's in so i've gone over the drill about a million times with her just in case but it still worries me.

[Debi]

15. Hope your husband is home safe and soon. n/t

[TwilightGardener]

16. Thank you!

[demnan]

8. That reminds me of Scorpio

That was happening to my mother's cat in the apartment next door to me. The woman wasn't dead she had just moved to Richmond and left him. He cried out of hunger.

I wonder, didn't someone hear this child cry? Are we that much of a cold society that no one came to his rescue?

[supernova]

10. ....

:cry: :cry:

So sad.

[ingac70]

14. This is why...

you should have at least one friend or relative that you keep in touch with at a minimum of every other day. Also give someone trustworthy a key to your house.

[RoadRage]

17. I just read this on omaha.com

Hi Omaha Steve.. fellow Omaha girl here. Just read this very very sad story on omaha.com... and I have a 26 month old girl, so this really hit home.

I just can't imagine that this woman didn't have any friends or family members who would check in on them once in a while, or notice them missing.

Very very sad... i hope no foul play was involved - we'll find out more on that soon.

[Omaha Steve]

20. Yes, another home town member

Marta and I actually moved to Bellevue during Nov of 06. I just didn't want to give up my handle since is was broke in so well. :-) Nice to meet you. There are a couple more of us.

[formerrepuke]

18. This is not as rare an occurence as it should be...

Mothers who do not live with another adult occasionally die (from whatever cause) at home; if they do not have regular contact with any other adults.. child dies from malnutrution. This happened in my area (Cleveland, OH) a couple years ago, and her baby cried intermittently for days. Her apartment neighbors heard the crying, but the level and amount of crying was no more or less than usual. Finally, the crying stopped, and the rent wasn't paid.. THEN somebody went in there to check up on things.

Tragic-

[GreenPartyVoter]

19. That is sad beyond words :^(

[focusfan]

21. thats a sad story

i can't imagine what that little boy was going through seeing
his mother dead.