Police probing death of foster child; 2nd remains critical
AUBURN, Mass. - Authorities are trying to determine how a 2-year-old girl died and a second young girl was left in critical condition after they were found unresponsive at a home in Massachusetts.
Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early said Sunday night the girls were discovered at an apartment complex in Auburn, about 45 miles west of Boston, after their foster mother called 911 around 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
When emergency officials arrived, they found 2-year-old Avalena Conway-Coxon unconscious and performed CPR. She was pronounced dead a short time later at a local hospital. An autopsy was performed Sunday night.
Early said life-saving measures were performed on the second girl, also about 2 years old, who remained in "very critical" condition. Her name has not been released. Early said the foster mother is cooperating with authorities, and no charges have been filed.
Early called the situation "a very difficult case." He said air quality tests were done at the home and carbon monoxide poisoning has been ruled out.
A third foster child and the woman's three biological children also lived in the home. They are in the custody of the state Department of Children and Families. Early said they showed no obvious signs of abuse.
DCF spokeswoman Andrea Grossman said in a statement that the agency is working with law enforcement officials and also is conducting its own investigation.
Elizabeth Guyton, a spokeswoman for Gov. Charlie Baker, said Sunday he is "deeply saddened to learn of this tragic situation" and is in communication with DCF and public safety officials about the case.
Auburn Police Chief Andrew Sluckis Jr. said the foster mother is "very familiar" to police. The Telegram & Gazette in Worcester reported that Sluckis said police had been to the apartment several times for incidents including domestic issues and an identity theft case in which the tenants were victims.
Avalena Conway-Coxon's biological mother is Jessica Conway, a recovering addict who lost custody of her daughter and was sentenced to a year in prison, reports CBS Boston.
Jessica Conway's father, 69-year-old David Coxon, told The Boston Globe he learned his granddaughter had died after a DCF official called him Saturday night and asked for his daughter's telephone number. Minutes later, he said his daughter telephoned him.
"I have never figured that this would happen to us, but it can happen to anyone and that's what scares me," David Coxon told CBS Boston.
The foster mother's name has not been released. Neighbors told CBS Boston they trusted her to babysit their own children and that she was a good mother.