It’s unclear how many days the child was alone with the bodies of his mother and father after they died in a murder-suicide. NBC6’s Julia Bagg speaks to neighbors.
A 3-year-old boy is safe after he was found in a Hialeah apartment along with the bodies of his mother and father, who died in a murder-suicide on Tuesday, police said.
Hialeah Police said they responded to a domestic-related incident at 605 West 68th Street at around 6 p.m. after the woman's sister went to the apartment because she hadn't heard from her in days.
When she went to the front door and knocked, no one answered, but she heard her nephew crying inside and called police.
Officers had to force their way inside the apartment. When inside, they found a deceased man and woman, whose identities were not immediately released.
The Hurricane season is on. Our meteorologists are ready. Sign up for the NBC 6 Weather newsletter to get the latest forecast in your inbox.
The boy was found uninjured, but taken to the hospital as a precaution, police said. Neighbors said he was dirty and offered water.
One resident said she heard gunfire early Saturday, but did not call authorities because she wasn't sure where the shots were coming from.
Police have not revealed how long the toddler may have been alone, or when his parents died.
Local
"We're still in the process of interviewing maybe neighbors, someone else. We still need to check cellphone usage and things like that, so we can have a better understanding of when the incident occurred. But obviously the child was inside of the home at the time that this occurred, so for us, right now our priority is going to be the child," Lt. Eddie Rodriguez said.
The boy is in the care of the Florida Department of Children and Families.
Neighbors told NBC6 the man and woman were a very quiet couple who lived there for several years and kept to themselves.
Detectives could be seen investigating at the scene.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.
