4-Year-Old Boy Found Alone With Mom’s Decomposing Body In NJ

Police say a “spunky little kid” in New Jersey survived for nearly a week in horrifying conditions, as the 4-year-old boy was found with his mother’s decomposing body alone in an apartment.

The 4-year-old boy lived in the Mill Run at Union apartment complex with both his mother and grandmother, but the child’s grandma had been recently hospitalized for two broken hips. She was unable to contact her daughter at the home they’d up until recently shared in which the gruesome discovery was made.

The child appears to have been in the apartment alone with his mother’s dead body for about a week, police said, and, while the situation is upsetting, the boy appears to be in mostly decent health after the tragedy.

A local news source reports that “apartment managers responded to reports of a foul odor coming from the second-floor apartment at the Mill Run at Union apartment building around 11:25 a.m.” on Tuesday, citing Daniel Zieser, the Union Township police director. NJ.com adds that a chained door was opened, and police found the boy and his deceased mother in bed.

The child is said to be expected to recover fully and was treated at Overlook Medical Center in Summit for dehydration and malnutrition. The site also reports that the child seemed okay:

“‘He’s doing fine,’ Zieser said. ‘He made a statement to the officer, ‘There’s plenty of food in the refrigerator, but I just can’t open it.’ ”

Zieser added:

“He was … putting some type of lotion on her, but she was deceased. It’s very sad.”

The 4-year-old boy’s mother appears to have died of natural causes, but an autopsy is scheduled.