Toddler Left Alone with Mom's Dead Body for Days, Survived on Cereal Spilled on Floor
A 3-year-old girl spent several days alone in an apartment with her dead mother’s body, surviving on nothing but cereal that had been spilled on the floor, according to multiple reports.
The girl, who has not been identified by authorities, thought her mother was sleeping, said East Hartford Police spokesman Lt. Joshua Litwin, according to the AP.
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Her survival, he said, was “remarkable.”
The girl was found Monday after a social worker went to check on her because she hadn’t been to daycare for several days, according to NBC Connecticut.
After the social worker got the girl to unlock the door, she discovered the child’s mother dead in a bedroom, according to the Hartford Courant.
Litwin told the paper the child had been alone for “definitely more than a couple of days.”
On Wednesday, authorities identified the mother as Twanna Toler, 37, the AP reports.
Deputy Chief Beau Thurnauer said police are investigating, even though there were no outward signs of criminal activity or forced entry.
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The child was taken to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center for evaluation. She was dehydrated but otherwise in good condition, police said.
Authorities are waiting for the results of an autopsy by the medical examiner’s office to find out how Toler died.
