A neighbor claimed to have heard the cries of a 9-month-old baby who starved to death after his mother died of an apparent drug overdose in their Pennsylvania apartment, reports Yahoo! News .
The body of 22-year-old Sara Kessler – who was a drug addict – was discovered early Friday morning by her brother who went over to check on her. He claims he had begun to worry after he hadn’t heard from his sister in quite some time.
Once inside the apartment, he saw his nephew, Casey Kessler, on the living room floor alone and dead while his mother was in her bedroom – also dead – lying on her bed.
Assistant Allegheny County police Superintendent James Morton said on Friday that Casey more than likely starved to death a week or two prior to his uncle finding his body.
According to Daily Mail , it is believed that Casey was also on the bed with his mother, who police believed overdosed on drugs, but when he became famished, he crawled out of bed in search of food. When there wasn’t any food in arms reach, the baby starved to death on the living room floor.
Morton stated that “It seems like he [the infant] tried to survive but there was no food or anything for him to have. It looked like he was trying to get around somehow by himself for who knows how long.”
Sara’s neighbor, William Gonzalez, spoke with reporters and recalls hearing Casey crying for two days as he walked in and out of his apartment building, but did not report it.
“If I was closer to the noise, I would have done something. I didn’t know. I feel so guilty. I feel so bad. The thought of that little kid running around after she died… looking for food. That’s what I’m upset about. It’s such a helpless feeling.”
Another neighbor, Elizabeth Freismuth, mentioned the difficulties Sara had when her mother died of natural causes. She told reporters the following.
“She seemed so sad her mom was gone. I told her if she needed anything to ask me, but she never did. She loved that little baby. He was such a beautiful little boy. She told me: ‘I can’t believe he’s going to be almost a year old. He’s getting so big.’”
Alleghany police believes there was no foul play in the deaths of 9-month-old Casey Kessler and Sara Kessler.
Autopsies will be performed on both bodies Saturday to confirm cause of death.
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